Newcastle United signing Miguel Almiron has insisted that he is ready to face Wolves on Monday night.
The Paraguayan international joined up with his teammates this week after being granted a work permit, and claims that he is ready to feature in the class next week despite not having played a competitive match since the MLS Cup final on December 9th.
As quoted in the Chronicle (15.16), he told a press conference: “I’ve been keeping myself fit and I’m ready to play at Wolves on Monday.”
OPINION
Newcastle United fans will be delighted with this news. They’ve been waiting eagerly to hear from Almiron, and will be even more eager to see their record signing in action. Knowing that he feels ready to take part on Monday night will be a huge boost the fans and to the squad, although it would still be fairly unexpected if Rafa Benitez did decide to give his new talisman a role from the bench instead of chucking him in at the deep end. If the Spaniard has been suitably impressed with the 24-year-old so far in training he could be thrown in from the start, but Benitez is a prudent man, and will be unwilling to hang his new acquisition out to dry. Premier League football will be some adjustment, especially for a player who hasn’t played in two months, and his new boss will be keen to give him the best possible start to life in England, rather than just playing him for the sake of it.