Rafael Benitez has shown his support for Ayoze Perez after the Newcastle United striker came in for heavy criticism following a poor against West Ham on Saturday.
The 25-year-old missed a host of chances as the Magpies slipped to a 3-0 defeat, but his manager has backed the the Spaniard’d ability.
Speaking prior the Toon Army’s clash with Everton on Wednesday night, as quoted in the Chronicle, Benitez said:”We know Ayo really well and the fact we can talk in Spanish is easier for us to express what we want to.
“He is working so hard.
“He was our top scorer last season and he is an important player for us.”
Perez has scored just once in 14 Premier League matches this season.
OPINION
Benitez was never going to come out and savage Perez in the media. It’s not his style, and with the player’s confidence clearly very fragile, it almost certainly would have done more than good if he had. The fact that he has felt the need to reference the forward’s form at all, however, should be a good indicator of how he is currently playing. The Spaniard is not the only Newcastle player who needs to improve, but when they are desperately lacking goals and creativity, it’s not surprising that he is one of the players being consistently singled out. His lack of goals is one problem, but his all-round game has been equally sub-par this campaign. It is true that he was Newcastle’s top scorer last season, but he had little competition, and only managed eight goals in 36 matches. If the Magpies are going to avoid relegation and reestablish themselves as a Premier League side then they need to find an alternative to Perez, quickly.