Positive Perez has no fear of Devils
‘LET’S SHOW QUALITY AND BOUNCE BACK’
AYOZE Perez believes tomorrow night’s trip to Manchester United is the ideal chance to erase painful memories of recent Premier League defeats against Burnley and AFC Bournemouth.
The Magpies have been left to ponder those poor results over the international break but now face the biggest test of their season so far at Old Trafford.
Despite Newcastle’s recent bad run, the Spaniard is not fearing the journey to the north west for the televised clash against Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils.
When asked about what the attitude should be for the Magpies going into the encounter, Perez told the Chronicle: “It has to be positive and bright after such a defeat.
“We have to work as hard as we can in training but we know we also need quality.
“There are still a lot of games to play so we must move on quickly and this is a chance to do that.”
United have failed to score in their last two matches but could easily have picked up two points at both Turf Moor and St James’ Park had it not been for lapses in concentration late in the game.
Perez added: “Every point is big to us in the Premier League.
“It is not enough just to work hard. In football it is more than that, it is about performance. We have to realise the games last 95 minutes and we must stop making mistakes. In the end you pay for them.”
Perez must wait to see if there is a place in the starting line-up for him at Old Trafford after being dropped for the home game with Bournemouth.
His appearance as substitute sparked a supporter debate with some fans feeling Aleksandar Mitrovic would have been a better choice to get something out of the game.
The debate is still ongoing after Mitrovic scored again for Serbia during the international break.
After getting the nod ahead of the former Anderlecht man against the Cherries, Perez had said: “I was ready to play but I respect his decision. I was also ready at the moment he brought me on.
“The idea was to help Dwight Gayle who was doing quite well, and we both tried to make movements forward. We are both runners.
“We could have scored but we didn’t.
“The main thing is we made a lot of mistakes and gave the ball away quite easy.
“That made Bournemouth feel comfortable on the counter-attack. That is what they were waiting for.”