OPINION
There were many Newcastle United supporters worried by club record signing Miguel Almiron’s anonymous performance against West Ham United on Saturday.
After impressing so mightily in his home debut against Huddersfield Town at the back end of last month, fans couldn’t be blamed for expecting a similar level of performance each and every week.
However, the Paraguay international produced next to nothing as the hosts marked him out of the game at the London Stadium. Manager Rafael Benitez, though, was pleased with his efforts.
“Against West Ham he was working hard, and it was not easy for him because mentally we killed ourselves at the beginning with the two goals [we conceded],” he told The Chronicle.
“We needed to react, and hopefully you are expecting players to show character, which they did during the second half. At least we saw this character [from Almiron and the team]; we tried different things, we changed players, we changed shape, and everyone was trying.
“Still we had the chances. Miguel was trying like the rest of the players and showed he can do it,” he finished.
Clearly the boss isn’t worried, and supporters shouldn’t be either. It’s easy to forget that Almiron is still a foreign player coming from a foreign league and it will take time for him to fully acclimate.
He has taken to English football like a duck to water, but patience is still required. He’s going to have bad games at first, but hopefully in time he will find the consistency required to become a top player for the Magpies.
Hopefully Benitez’s positive words serve as a reminder to fans that the former Atlanta United star still has a lot to give, and will put their fears to bed after his lacklustre London Stadium showing.
