Former Newcastle United striker Mick Quinn has been raving about forward Salomon Rondon, but said that the club must recruit another attacker as cover.
The Magpies signed Rondon on loan from West Brom in the summer transfer window, and Quinn has been impressed with what he has seen of the 29-year-old so far, praising his workrate and ability to be “selfless” when it comes to scoring goals.
He adds that Joselu is just not good enough to be back-up for the likes of Rondon, and said that United will survive this season if he is on top-form.
“I really like Rondon; he has the heart of a lion and an infectious workrate up front. He will reach double figures for Newcastle this season if he stays fit – but he never had the chance to do that in a West Brom team who barely created chances under Tony Pulis,” he said in his Chronicle column.
“If Rondon is fit and available, Newcastle will be fine – but that’s a big if. Ideally Newcastle need another striker as back-up, because Joselu just will not score enough goals, no matter how hard he will work.
“When it comes to goals, I also think United need more from midfield. Rondon is so selfless that he will lay plenty of chances on for his team-mates – just like he did for Ayoze Perez at the weekend – but there are not enough players getting forward and supporting him.”
OPINION
Quinn is right to heap praise on Rondon in the way that he has here. He was never provided with the opportunity at West Brom to showcase his best attacking skills, mainly due to the fact that there were not players around him who could support him. While he has been fantastic for Newcastle this season in terms of his work rate and the goals he has scored, it is safe to say that he is experiencing the same fate under Rafa Benitez. There are not enough quality players to bring the best out of him, which is slightly concerning. Benitez desperately needs to bring in an attacking midfielder who can do this job well if Newcastle are to heed success this season. Like Quinn pointed out, when Rondon is on form, Newcastle have a better chance than anyone to do well this season. Fingers crossed that he is on top form from now on, as Newcastle’s survival hopes are really pinning on him.
