OPINION
If there was one thing Newcastle United needed over the summer transfer window, it was a striker who could hit home the goals that their hitmen failed to do last season.
With the likes of Joselu, Dwight Gayle and Leicester City loanee Islam Slimani leading the line, Rafael Benitez’s men looked toothless up top, and it was their defensive strength, not their attacking flair, which secured their 10th placed finish in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, the Magpies had outcast Serbian giant Aleksandar Mitrovic banging in the goals for Fulham in the Championship, and what appeared to be a match made in heaven resulted in a permanent deal being agreed for his move from Tyneside to London.
That has looked to be quite the misjudgement from Benitez, with the 23-year-old netting four goals in as many top flight games for the Cottagers, but his show stealing performance for Serbia has proven his sale to be the biggest mistake of the summer.
His country might not have got the win, playing out a 2-2 draw with Romania, but it was all eyes on Mitrovic as he scored both goals in completely different fashion; the first a scruffy effort while lying on the floor, the second a sumptuous strike which showed off all his best attributes.
Aleksandar Mitrovic is well and truly on fire! ??
The Serbian striker juggles the ball on the edge of the box before lashing the ball in! ??
Watch live on the Sky Sports Football Red Button now! ? pic.twitter.com/4nO4dEf8kJ
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 10, 2018
Strong, clever and with a ferocious strike, social media would be on fire if that was scored by a bigger player or in a bigger game – but if he continues to perform as he has, he is destined for stardom.
Newcastle were crying out for a player of his goal scoring ability and while he had hardly hit the ground running on Tyneside, hindsight is showing what they have missed out on.
Benitez made a massive error not bending to his former striker’s unusual personality or using him to his strengths, and now the Toon Army can only dream what might have been.