OPINION
It would be fair to say that Yoshinori Muto has not had the impact expected at Newcastle United this season and there will be plenty of supporters wondering why the club have wasted their money.
One goal in 14 appearances is hardly anything for the Japanese international to write home about and there are surely a handful of Newcastle fans who have forgotten the 26-year-old is actually still at the club.
Thankfully the likes of Salomon Rondon have been able to carry the weight of leading the line, while Miguel Almiron’s arrival has also pushed the former Mainz man down the pecking order when it comes to an attacking midfield role.
However, Benitez has not criticised Muto, instead coming up with excuses to defend him from any sort of criticism coming from the stands.
Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle’s Matthew Raisbeck, he said: “He’s someone that at the beginning he had problems with his England and the understanding of the game, now he’s getting better.
“You can see sometimes the physicality of the English football is a problem but he’s very committed and he’s working really hard. That is a guarantee he will be better.”
“You can see sometimes the physicality of English football is a problem.
“But, he’s very committed and is working really hard.”
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has been speaking to @bbcnewcastle about Yoshinori Muto #NUFC pic.twitter.com/aRTTVy1oqx
— Matthew Raisbeck (@raisbeck10) April 6, 2019
Quite frankly Muto is a lucky boy to be defended quite so vehemently by his manager, for he has definitely not shown what Benitez believes he can offer during his time on Tyneside.
Does Rafa believe that Muto is going to bulk up and cope with the demands of the Premier League – after all, the division is not going to get less physical in nature?
The forward has got to make some serious strides if he is going to come anywhere near to convincing those in the stands that he is worth having in the squad and is not just a waste of money.
