Adam Armstrong left Newcastle United in the summer to join Championship side Bolton Wanderers on loan.
With The Sun reporting that Newcastle are ready to cash-in on Aleksandar Mitrovic during the January transfer window, Magpies supporters may have been wondering whether the door could be left slightly open for one of their academy graduates who has arguably not been given a fair chance in the first-team.
Adam Armstrong has been attached to Newcastle for more than a decade, and appeared to have an extremely bright future ahead of him when he scored 20 goals in 40 League One games for Coventry City during the 2015/16 season.
However, his form since that spell has meant, even if Mitrovic leaves in January just as Armstrong returns from his loan spell at Bolton, he is facing an uphill battle trying to earn the chance to prove to Rafa Benitez that he can help fill the void that the Serbian may leave.
Armstrong has made nine Championship appearances for the Trotters, but is still awaiting his first league goal of the campaign despite making six starts in that time.
Though it is a difficult time for Bolton, with their off-field problems seemingly restricting the transfer business they could do, Armstrong should have been looking to back up his form with Coventry with an impressive stint in the Championship by now.
And to not score at all in the league will certainly be concerning those at Newcastle who may have hoped that the 20-year-old may be ready for the first-team action in the near future.
But perhaps news of Mitrovic’s potential departure may be the catalyst that Armstrong needs heading into the final few months of his loan spell at the Macron Stadium.
His previous struggles will be completely forgotten about if he manages to find his best form during the coming weeks. But as things stand, Armstrong is giving Benitez little reason to believe that he will be able to help fill the void in the squad if Mitrovic does depart in January.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
