Micky Quinn raved about the ability of Newcastle United attacker Salomon Rondon as he made it clear how vital he thought he was to the side.
The Magpies legend revealed that he really liked the 29-year-old forward and tipped him to achieve a personal feat by reaching double figures for the club this season.
Quinn added that if Rondon is able to stay fit then the Magpies will be fine, but highlighted that was a big if, before urging Rafa Benitez’s side to have some new faces added to it in the current transfer window.
“I really like Rondon; he has the heart of a lion and an infectious workrate up front. He will reach double figures for Newcastle this season if he stays fit – but he never had the chance to do that in a West Brom team who barely created chances under Tony Pulis,” wrote Quinn in his column for the Chronicle.
“If Rondon is fit and available, Newcastle will be fine – but that’s a big if. Ideally Newcastle need another striker as back-up, because Joselu just will not score enough goals, no matter how hard he will work.”
OPINION
Quinn heaps heavy praise on Rondon by highlighting his important to the team and it’s no surprise that he has been blown away by the forward. Since arriving from West Bromwich Albion in the summer on loan, the forward has been one of the positives of what has generally been a disappointing season for the Magpies so far. Rondon wasn’t overly prolific when playing WBA, with Quinn mentioning how he fared under Tony Pulis at the Hawthorns, as he only managed 28 goals in 120 appearances for them. Yet when you consider he has already scored six goals in his the 18 outings he has made for the Magpies so far and looked dangerous when ever being given proper service, you can see him being among the goals on more regular basis at St James Park. It helps that Rondon is the main man at the Magpies and all the opportunities fall to him as a result, as that wasn’t luxury that was afforded to him at WBA.