Rondon in race against time to make key clash
TOON STRIKER NOT CERTAIN TO RETURN AT ST MARY’S
SALOMON Rondon faces a race against time to be fit enough to feature for Newcastle United at Southampton this weekend.
The striker arrived during the summer on a season-long loan deal as Rafa Benitez’s first-choice striker target but the 29-year-old has featured in fewer than half of Newcastle’s matches so far this season.
Currently sidelined with a thigh problem, Rondon has been taking part in lighter sessions with the firstteam squad and has been working in the gym at United’s Benton Training Centre.
Though bottom-of-the-table Newcastle desperately need their frontline striker to return to the starting line up – the Magpies have scored just six goals so far this season – a decision will not be made on Rondon’s fitness until the end of the week.
The initial diagnosis when Rondon was first injured was he was unlikely to be fit until early November but Benitez will give the striker every opportunity to prove his fitness ahead of this weekend’s game.
Yoshinori Muto has started Newcastle’s last two defeats in Rondon’s absence, while Benitez has named Joselu in four line-ups so far this season, too.
However,, despite winless United’s lack of firepower, Benitez will not rush Rondon back early and risk aggravating the forward’s thigh injury further – and will instead assess the striker’s fitness.
“He is getting better but he has been out and away for a little while so we will have to see,” Benitez said when asked how close Rondon was to a return following the 1-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion at St James’ Park.
“I don’t think we can expect just one player to make a big difference.
“The team has to create like we did against Brighton, to have the same control, to be more clinical – and then if you have Rondon you will have more competition up front and then maybe he can help. “We need the rest of the team – all of the team – to try and do their best in every game.”
Newcastle face three crucial matches between now and the November international break with United hosting Watford and AFC Bournemouth in back-to-back games following the trip to St Mary’s Stadium.
In spite of the Magpies’ woeful form – they have failed to win any of their 10 matches in all competitions so far this season – Benitez is confident United can claim their first victory of 2018/19 on the south coast this weekend, as long as they perform in the same manner in they did during the agonising 3-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier this month.
He added: “If we can play at the level we played against Manchester United and take our chances like we did at Old Trafford, that is the key.
“The key is always to be solid, to be a compact team but also to create chances and then take those chances. Against Brighton we were quite solid but we did not take our chances.
“For the Southampton game and for all the games everyone must
Rondon is getting better but he has been out and away for a little while so we will have to see how he is