Malcolm Macdonald has drooled over how Newcastle United signing Miguel Almiron has helped Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez become better players.
He says that the playmaker has lifted the Magpies to a “another level”, and praised how “generous” he is as a player, namely because of his willingness to help others and allow himself to fit in with others.
The United legend also remarked on how excited he is by Almiron, but he has been particuarly impressed by how he has helped Rondon and Perez improve, mainly because the duo know how he operates.
“Whisper it, but Miguel Almiron and Sean Longstaff have taken this Newcastle United side to another level. Almiron is such a generous player. He hasn’t arrived as the great ‘I am’ suggesting that at £21m everything must be about him,” he said in his Chronicle column.
“He wants to help others, to fit in with them, not them with him. He works hard and his pace terrifies defenders. I’ve actually been excited by him and as a old pro I haven’t said that too often.
“He has made Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez into better players because they know what he brings to the table.”
OPINION
Salomon Rondon has proved many times why Newcastle were right to sign him, but there have been a number of times where he has looked completely isolated up front due to nobody bringing him into the match. This is why he has not scored many goals this season – but now that Almiron is in the fold, it looks like it will be very different indeed. He brought Rondon into the game with his pace, and he helped Perez be a little bit more creative. Almiron may not have played much for Newcastle so far, but even a few minutes into his debut against Huddersfield last weekend, you could tell that he was something special. The adjustment from playing in the MLS to the demands of the Premier League have not fazed him one bit, and he will no doubt go down as one of Newcastle’s best signings of the season – especially if he continues to help Rondon net regularly.