There are still a lot of unknowns about our team ahead of the season, with the captaincy and all 11 spots up for grabs. Although we still need two or three more signings, there is competition for places – and that is exciting.
Despite the intense competition developing at United, there is one player who I feel should be at the centre of Rafa Benitez’s plans, and that is Ayoze Perez. The Spain u21 international has already scored three times in pre-season and looks to be in great form heading into the new campaign.
Perez is one of the few to come out of last season without too much criticism. He gets the football club and loves playing for Newcastle; he showed that by signing a new contract last season and staying loyal this summer after relegation.
Now at 23, this season should be looked at by Perez to make himself the leader of the attack, and build up confidence. At times last season, he looked lost and a shadow of the player he was in his first campaign. The Championship will be a good platform for him to become a regular goalscorer and make himself indispensable for when we hopefully return to the Premier League.
Ayoze is one of the most talented players we have, and now we have Benitez at the helm, he has to make himself the star of our side. There have been promising signs over pre-season, but he must do it in competitive fixtures.
Where would you like to see Ayoze play this season? Get in touch and let us know via our Twitter account @NUFC360!