OPINION
The one major concern around Newcastle United at the moment – manager Rafael Benitez’s future aside – is the fitness of attacker Ayoze Perez.
The 25-year-old limped out of the 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion last time out with a hip problem, having scored the opening goal in that game.
However, there was some good news for Magpies supporters on Wednesday. The Chronicle reported that Newcastle are increasingly confident that the Spaniard will be fit enough to start against Liverpool on Saturday.
With Benitez’s side preparing to take on a Reds team who are gunning for their first league title in almost 30 years, they will need all the help they can get.
To have been without Perez, their most in-form player and the scorer of the team’s last five goals, would have been a devastating blow to their chances of coming away with anything on Saturday.
It will still be extremely difficult for Benitez’s men to get a positive result against a team as good as Liverpool, but with Perez in their midst they will at least have a bit more of a chance. Indeed, the fans will likely be jumping for joy at The Chronicle’s report.
Perez has been a revelation ever since club record signing Miguel Almiron joined on transfer deadline day in January. The Paraguayan’s arrival has seemed to revitalise the former Tenerife man, and he is arguably in the finest form of his Magpies tenure at present.
There’s no doubt that he’s in a startling hot streak, and Liverpool were probably hoping that he would be ruled out of the game at St James’ Park. However, it doesn’t look like that will be the case, and the Toon Army will be overjoyed by that fact.
