Scoring or not - Perez plays pivotal role in team insists Rafa
STRIKER GETS INTEREST FROM CLUBS
AYOZE Perez’s talents have not always been fully appreciated on Tyneside.
Earlier this season, the skinny Spaniard endured a spell as the Newcastle United player who appeared to be receiving the brunt of criticism from supporters.
Rafa Benitez, however, has always recognised Perez’s importance to the United side. He may not be a prolific second-striker, or a silky, creative No 10 like David Silva, but Perez plays a vital role in the United XI.
Three goals in as many games has seen the 24-year-old grab the headlines in recent weeks - particularly given the quality of his lob over Kasper Schmeichel and his flicked finish past Petr Cech - but to Benitez, Perez’s contribution this term has been far greater than that.
Last week, Perez revealed that the United manager praised him more for the work he does off the ball than for his offensive contributions.
And the same is true of Dwight Gayle and Joselu too. For Benitez
(right), his forward players are integral to his side’s balance and shape; without their discipline and work ethic, Newcastle would not have all-but guaranteed their Premier League status for next season already.
“I will be fair with everybody at the top - Gayle, Joselu, Ayoze - everyone that was playing there,” Benitez said of his strikeforce ahead of Monday night’s trip to Everton.
“The fans expect them to score a lot of goals, but our team is a team that has to work hard as a team defending well.
“We were creating more chances than the other teams in the bottom half of the table, but to defend well, to press and play counter attack, for the strikers that isn’t easy.
“Joselu was doing a great job and so were Ayoze and Dwight. People have an opinion about the strikers for the number of goals they score, and that’s not fair [by itself ].
“In this case, Ayoze has been great for us the last games, as have the other strikers. They’re all helping the team to win.
“If [Matt] Ritchie scores a goal, or [Jonjo] Shelvey, or Kenedy, then for me that’s not an issue. It’s just to be sure that we score one more than the other team.” Yet it is Perez’s rich recent form which has intrigued Newcastle fans. Regularly the Spaniard goes through short goalscoring bursts, before enduring extended droughts. Five goals and five assists are not eyegrabbing statistics for a No 10, but this is a player who Barcelona, Real Madrid, Tot tenham Hotspur and Manchester United have courted in the past. Interestingly, Benitez has revealed that Newcastle have received enquiries about Perez’s availability in recent months - and he expects interest in the 24-year-old to grow further, once he develops real consistency in his attacking game. “Obviously we know he has talent and he has quality, but he has to be more consistent,” Benitez added of Perez.
“If not, if he was more consistent, maybe he’d be scoring 20 goals a season and he wouldn’t be here. We’d have teams from Spain or England knocking on the door and asking for him.
“At the moment, we have teams asking for him, but still we can enjoy him because he’s a player who has plenty of room for i mprovement , and he’s working hard, and is keen to learn.
“You never know what will happen in football in the future. I’ve told him he has potential.
“I’m telling him things, but it takes time. Still he can improve in a lot of areas.”
Perez has admitted on numerous occasions that he dreams of playing for the Spain national team one day.
And, though Benitez does not fore- see Perez winning a cap in the short term given the quality and depth Spain have at their disposal, the Newcastle manager believes his forward has the potential to perform on the international stage one day. “Yes, I don’t think it will be now because Spain has a very good team, but I think he has the potential if he continues learning,” Benitez said of Perez’s international ambitions. “He has good quality. He can give the ball away sometimes and the fans can say, ‘Oh he’s lightweight, he’s giving the ball away easily.’ But, at the same time, he’s doing a great job. “Maybe he’s got the potential and the vision that maybe other players who are stronger don’t have. I think, in time, he will be a much better player. “He has the ability to score goals, to pass defenders to see a pass but he has to be more consistent doing that.”
Yes, I don’t think it will be now because Spain has a very good team, but I think he has the potential if he continues learning Rafa Benitez