OPINION
Newcastle United have been struggling on all fronts this season as they remain winless after ten Premier League games, but the majority of their issues have come in attack.
Rafa Benitez’s side have scored just six goals in their ten matches so far, which is the joint-second worst record in the division, behind only bottom side Huddersfield.
Summer signing Salomon Rondon has struggled with injury while Yoshinori Muto and Ayoze Perez have both failed to hit their goalscoring stride so far.
The club’s top scorer this season is Joselu with two goals, and that is simply not good enough if the Magpies want to remain the top-flight in May.
Meanwhile, in the club’s Under-23 side, Danish striker Elias Sorensen has been banging in the goals left, right and centre, with a tally of 12 so far this term.
The 19-year-old is obviously still a very raw talent, but the sheer number of goals he has scored this season has led for many calls for him to be given a chance in the first-team.
Benitez has finally responded to this wave of opinion from the fans, revealing that he is not even thinking about giving any of their youth players, and in particular goal machine Sorensen, a chance at the moment.
As quoted by the Chronicle, he said: “You don’t do it. Especially when you are in a top side because everybody is expecting you to be the new Alan Shearer. When everybody is expecting that you have no chance. It is really important for the players and for us.”
While the sentiment here is obviously true, with there being a huge amount of pressure on their shoulders upon promotion to the first-team, Benitez is actually doing the Newcastle fans a disservice here.
No one is expecting a raw 5ft 10in youngster [Eurosport] to come in and be the next Alan Shearer – the Toon Army are not stupid and are well aware of the academy players’ limits.
The Magpies faithful merely want to see some fresh blood injected in the team, players who are going to come in and give it their all and add something new to an attack which is horribly stagnating already.
The fact is that the current crop of players is not doing the business at the moment, and with two months left until reinforcements can be brought in, Benitez needs to work something out quickly.
Sorensen may not come in and score goals like he is in the reserves, but at least he will ruffle a few feathers and make a case for himself.
And, even if he does not succeed, his career is not going to be over – he will simply go back down to the Under-23s and start again.
If this lack of attacking threat continues then Benitez must immediately reconsider his stance on Sorensen and give the youngster a chance to make a name for himself on Tyneside.