Almiron on Howe he has found form

MIGUEL Almiron admits the confidence behind his stunning pre-season form for Newcastle United is in part down to Eddie Howe showing ‘more faith’ in him.

The former Magpies’ record signing enjoyed his summer with six goals ahead of the new campaign and is expected to start the season opener against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Paraguayan forward impressed in his first months on Tyneside under Rafa Benitez following his arrival from Atlanta United in January 2019.

He forged an instant understanding with Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon in an attacking trio affectionately dubbed the ‘Three Amigos’ by supporters.

However, he has since struggled to nail down a regular starting spot under both Steve Bruce and Howe.

Almiron’s endeavour in and out of possession has never been in doubt but the 28-year-old’s attacking returns has regularly been the subject of criticism.

However, the former MLS star has responded to these doubters in recent weeks with braces behind closed doors against both Burnley and Gateshead.

This was followed up by a stand-out display and another double in the narrow Eusebio Cup defeat against Benfica.

Almiron is competing against Elliot Anderson, Ryan Fraser and Jacob Murphy for a starting spot in attack alongside Allan Saintmaximin and Callum Wilson.

The in-form forward cited his work on the training ground and in pre-season when asked about his recent revival but also tellingly highlighted the backing he now feels he has from Howe.

Almiron said: “More than anything, really, I feel a lot more confident. The manager has shown more faith in me too.

“I am playing more on the right-hand side and I felt a lot more comfortable in that area of the pitch where I played in the last few games towards the end of last season

“I was getting forward a lot more.

“I still need to keep working hard on my goalscoring and providing more assists but I am always working hard in every training session so I can ensure I improve on a day-to-day basis.”