Benitez Fires Almiron Warning

Rafael Benitez has warned Newcastle new boy Miguel Almiron that life in the Premier League will get considerably more difficult.

The 25-year-old January signing from MLS side Atlanta United made his first start for the Magpies in Saturday’s 2-0 home victory over bottom-of-the-table Huddersfield, whose task was made all the more difficult by the loss of skipper Tommy Smith to a 20th-minute red card for a poor challenge on the Paraguay international.

Related; Benitez Plays Down Almiron Expectations

Almiron might have already made his mark by that point with an audacious lofted shot which came back off a post, and he received rapturous applause as he was replaced by Christian Atsu with nine minutes remaining.

However, manager Benitez said: “It’s important for us to realise that today, we had to win; for him, the first game, he had to do well, but the main thing was the understanding with the team-mates around him, his effort, his commitment.

“Everything we have seen is what we were expecting from him. Obviously the defenders from the other teams will know him a little bit better now and it will be more difficult for him.

“But still, he is someone who is working really hard, so I think he can do well. “Now he has to learn in the Premier League to understand what the physicality of the game means here, but I think he has the right mentality.”