Starter for 10..?
WHAT DOES RAFA HAVE PLANNED FOR ALMIRON AND PEREZ?
DON’T write off Ayoze Perez.
Newcastle’s signing of Miguel Almiron has been seen as the sign that Perez’s days of playing the number 10 role at United are numbered.
But Rafa Benitez doesn’t see it that way, with Almiron’s ability to play on either wing raising the possibility that the new recruit may be offered his first taste of Premier League football on the wing.
And while Almiron has been playing in the role Perez occupies for Newcastle currently, the ex-Tenerife man is doing enough for Benitez in a role that he feels is key to giving his team the “balance” that he continually emphasises is the key to United’s success.
While Perez’s form this season has been up and down, and the player himself has been stung by some of the criticism levelled at him during a barren period, Benitez’s instructions to the player restrict some of his capacity to play off-the-cuff.
And for his part, the Newcastle manager appreciates the way Perez has modified his own game to support the team’s efforts.
“What I say always is that the competition has to be good. Almiron can play as a number 10 but also as a winger and he has to compete with any one of the wingers and Ayoze for the number 10 position,” Benitez said of Perez – who he feels needs to add consistency to his game.
“Ayo is quite good. He was scoring goals last year, he’s scored goals this year and he can do some good passes.
“Tactically he understands what we want to do and defending, he is doing a job.
“Sometimes people don’t realise it allows the strikers and the wingers to have more freedom to get to goal. For us, for our team, it is time to find a balance.
“Ayo is a player with enough quality to make the difference sometimes. His main problem is consistency. It is something he needs to keep working on.”
While his role at Newcastle has been the subject of intense debate on the terraces at times, Perez has a growing fan club in his native Spain.
And Benitez has revealed that United turned down THREE offers for the player from La Liga sides in the close season.
“He has the potential to be a very good player but he has to be more consistent. To be fair he is working on that,” he said. “For a while he was close to being in the Spain squad and in the summer, I had three Spanish clubs asking for him but we didn’t want to sell because he’s an important player for us.” With Perez likely to continue in the number 10 role at Wolves, Almiron could be handed a left-wing role at Molineux or made to wait for his chance from the bench. Benitez has enjoyed watching the player in training this week, noting an increased intensity in the players during this week that may be down to the improved competition for places. The biggest worry for many on the Almiron front is whether he can cope with the physicality of the Premier League – especially given the fact he is joining the Premier League survival battle midseason.
But he was clattered by some of his teammates in training this week and brushed off the knocks, Benitez revealed.
“There were a couple of tackles in the training session and he was OK. He was not on the floor complaining, he just wanted to carry on. He knew what to do,” Benitez said.
“He’s a different kind of player. Every player needs some time but he has different characteristics and he gives us something different so that is good.”
Meanwhile, the United manager confirmed Martin Dubravka’s confidence was unshaken by his mistake at Spurs. Benitez changed goalkeepers last season after Karl Darlow made errors but he confirmed Dubravka will continue as his number one.
“I was talking with him, but I don’t need to sit down with him and talk too much about that. He’s a keeper and like a defender, they know if they make a mistake, everybody will talk about that.
“But he’s OK. He’s a good professional, he’s focused, he’s training really well and I trust him 100%.”
There were a couple of tackles in training and he (Almiron) was OK. He was not on the floor complaining Rafa Benitez