‘Oh no’ – Benitez responds to critics who slam Joselu as a poor finisher
By Aramide Oladipo
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez is convinced that summer signing Joselu can improve on a number of areas in his game.
The 27-year-old completed a permanent move to the Magpies from fellow Premier League side Stoke City during the summer transfer window for a reported fee of £5million.
The striker made an instant impact on his home debut, scoring the opening goal in a comfortable 3-0 victory over West Ham United.
The Spaniard also found himself on the scoresheet in the 1-1 Premier League draw against Liverpool at St James’ Park before the current international break.
Speaking to the Chronicle, Newcastle boss Benitez is optimisitic that the new recruit can progress even further once he has fully adapted to life on Tyneside.
“We know still he is a player that was not playing too much and he has to improve physically, and then he will improve in the other areas,” he said
“His finishing, people say: ‘Oh no.’ He is a good finisher in training sessions, what we have to be sure is that we can replicate what he does in the training sessions in matches.
“It is a mixture of things though – sometimes it is the anxiety, the pressure, what you have to manage.
“He is someone who I think will do well and especially once he has competition, because remember we lost [Aleksandar] Mitrovic. You have to be sure that you have players available and that they can compete for the positions.”
Joselu’s performances are currently keeping last season’s top goalscorer Dwight Gayle on the substitutes bench at the moment.
It is a new experience for the striker after failing to become a regular starter at Stoke and enduring a tough campaign last season, suffering a number of injuries which came him on the sidelines.
The Spaniard will be looking to find the back of the net when the Magpies return to Premier League action against Southampton on Sunday afternoon.
In other Newcastle United news, Football Insider has named the starting XI who would destroy Southampton in the club’s next league clash.
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