It is official: Miguel Almiron is Eddie Howe’s latest success story at Newcastle United. A man-of-the-match performance against Fulham was arguably his best in a Toon shirt to date, with two goals inspiring the Magpies to a resounding 4-1 win.
The Paraguayan’s brilliant first evoked memories of Dutch legend Marco van Basten in the Euro 1988 final as he volleyed home to take Bernd Leno by surprise. His second was a poacher’s finish at the back stick just moments before having a well-taken hat-trick goal ruled out for offside.
Any prospects of Almiron scoring a hat-trick were beyond comprehension a few months ago. The 28-year-old appeared destined for the St James’ Park exit earlier this year, lingering on the fringes of Howe’s squad having not started a game in 2022 until March 13.
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Three-and-a-half years on Tyneside had proven underwhelming until that point, with nobody seemingly knowing his best position. Under Steve Bruce, Almiron played on the right, the left, as a false number nine and even in midfield - rarely impressing despite an undeniable work ethic.
However, Howe has fine-tuned Almiron into a system that helps unleash his true potential. Astonishingly, the three goals he has bagged this season equate to 25% of his all-time Premier League total.
A man who was infamously inconsistent has been one of Newcastle's star performers in 2022-23… but the signs of improvement were already there. Admittedly, Almiron needed a slice of good fortune to turn his United career around.
Ryan Fraser - another Howe prodigy - hobbled off against Wolverhampton Wanderers in April and the Paraguayan was summoned from the bench. A typically tireless performance earned Almiron a starting berth and, a fortnight later, he produced a goal-of-the-month strike to earn a vital win over Crystal Palace.
The forward has started every league game but it was during summer when he started making a splash. Six goals in pre-season against stern opposition made him the standout performer - raising questions as to whether Newcastle needed a right-sided attacker.
It was almost as though Jack Grealish’s derogatory comments towards Almiron amid Manchester City’s title celebrations had given him the eye of the tiger. In the opening seven Premier League fixtures, his perennial graft was on show but, for the first time as a Newcastle player, there has been guile to back that up, too.
Craven Cottage proved the venue where Almiron’s turnaround was vindicated. Two clinical goals cemented his status as Howe’s freshest graduate, passing the course shortly after Joelinton, Fraser, Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth enjoyed their drastic transformation under the former Bournemouth manager.
Desperation for a new right winger has eased and Newcastle fans are finally witnessing the player everybody thought they signed in January 2019. Even in the dark times, Almiron played with a smile on his dial - making this redemption arc even sweeter to watch unfold.
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