Alan Shearer gushed over Newcastle United striker Salomon Rondon after he electrified St James’ Park over the weekend.
Writing in his weekly Premier League column, the high-profile pundit and Premier League record goalscorer emphasised the contribution of Rondon in the Magpies’ second consecutive win as they got their campaign back on track.
Rondon scored both Newcastle goals as he opened his Premier League tally for the club he joined on loan in the summer and one in particular drew high praise from Shearer.
“The complete centre-forward’s performance,” Shearer said. “He dominated and bullied the AFC Bournemouth defenders and was rewarded with two impressive goals. His second was particularly magnificent.”
OPINION
Given that Rondon’s double came against an in-form side sixth in the Premier League table, Newcastle fans are excited that they could actually have a centre-forward on their books worthy of the name. The greatest of them all, Shearer, who scored 148 of his 260 Premier League goals in a black-and-white jersey, knows that it takes to deliver the goods in the top flight and was impressed at how Rondon went about his business against Bournemouth. The Venezuela international has been hit by niggling injuries since his summer arrival, in a loan swap with Dwight Gayle, and many were claiming he was inferior to the man he replaced. But the lively Gayle, an outstanding striker at Championship level, could not have delivered the kind of dominant display that Rondon did on Saturday to bring St James’ Park to its feet. He has little pace, and is not the most mobile, but Rondon is excellent with his back to goal and is one of the best around in the air. The front man is a handful and Newcastle need to get the best out of him.