Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has admitted he's been "pleasantly surprised" with Miguel Almirón's quality since joining the club but feels patience is still required with the Paraguayan.
Almirón, 25, joined the Magpies back in January for £21m following a successful spell at MLS side Atlanta United but is yet to score for the club and has received criticism for missing too many chances.
Bruce, however, admires the player and feels he will soon improve his finishing. As quoted by The Telegraph, Bruce said: "He’s a great lad, probably the most popular player here.
"He’s bright and effervescent and bubbly, he’s a great pro. He just needs to get one of those opportunities to fall for him and he gets a goal. Since I’ve walked through the door, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at what a good player he is...of course, he needs to add that finishing touch to his game, but it will come.
"I see how he works in training and he scores goals in training, but it’s a bit different doing it in front of 50,000 people and he probably just snatches at it a little bit.
"When he gets up and running, who knows, he might learn to go at things a little bit calmer. The great goalscorers go calm in front of goal. We need to be patient with him and I will be because of the type of person and player that he is."
With Newcastle battling against relegation and the departure of last season's top scorer Ayoze Pérez, they need Almirón to show the kind of form that earned him a move to St James' Park sooner rather than later.
Almirón's next opportunity will be away at Liverpool in two weeks' time. Despite his recent form, he has been called up to Paraguay's squad for the friendly matches against Jordan and Japan during the international break.
Source :
90min
