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Football

24th Feb 2019

Newcastle fans delighted with Miguel Almiron’s man of the match performance

Simon Lloyd

“Almiron is the best player on the planet, then Longstaff is a close second.”

Newcastle fans waited long enough for Mike Ashley to finally put his hands in his pockets and break the club’s transfer record. 13 and a half years, to be exact. Thankfully, with the arrival of £20m Miguel Almiron finally eclipsing the £16m they paid Real Madrid for Michael Owen in 2005, the early signs are they’ve unearthed a diamond.

Almiron, who arrived from Major League Soccer champions Atlanta United in January, was named the man of the match in their 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon, his full debut.

The Paraguayan came close to scoring on numerous occasions and also laid on six chances for teammates  – as much as any Newcastle player has managed in a single game since their return to the Premier League at the start of last season.

The 25-year-old was eventually replaced by Christian Atsu with ten minutes remaining, the Newcastle support giving him a standing ovation as he made his way off the field.

This, along with the reaction on social media, was a measure of the impression he has made on the club’s fanbase in his relatively short time on Tyneside.

https://twitter.com/1892Gav/status/1099363837122367490

Newcastle’s goals both came in the second-half. Salomon Rondon scored the first shortly after half-time, with Ayoze Perez doubling their lead soon after.

Huddersfield were fortunate to go in at the break with the scores goalless. Having had Tommy Smith sent off for a dangerous tackle on Almiron after 20 minutes, the visitors were on the back foot for the majority of the game.