Matt Ritchie has heaped praise on Newcastle United teammate Salomon Rondon, suggesting that the Venezuelan has been scoring “priceless” goals for the club.
Rondon hit double figures for the season with a sublime free-kick against Bournemouth on Saturday, and his impact has been hailed by the Scottish international.
Speaking on talkSPORT, as quoted in the Chronicle, he said: “He’s been fantastic for us.
“He’s a great character, and his goals are priceless. He has been fantastic since the day he walked through the door. He has given us [the wide players] a target to hit and gets us up the pitch.”
OPINION
Rondon’s impact has been so good this season that it almost doesn’t need spelling out. He has been everything that the Magpies have been missing for so long. He is a focal point to their attack, but he is more than just a target man. His intelligence in his movement, and the way that he drops deep and facilitates those around him means that he is showing, week after week, that he is pretty much the complete centre forward. The Toon Army will be hoping and praying that they can snap him up on a permanent deal this summer, because if they don’t, how will they even begin to replace him? Rondon has been magnificent, and after a relatively slow start to life on Tyneside he has proven that he is one of, if not the, most important player in Rafa Benitez’s squad. Now it just remains to be seen if he can be made to stick around.
