Newcastle United striker Ayoze Perez has featured in every Premier League match the Magpies have played so far this season.
Perez has been criticised for not offering Newcastle enough in an attacking sense over the early part of the campaign.
The Spaniard has played in every one of Newcastle’s Premier League matches to date, but he still has no goals to his name and he has only contributed one assist.
Newcastle supporters have started to suggest that Benitez should take Perez out his starting line-up, as others deserve their chances.
However, Perez’s comments about how much he sacrifices for the team in a defensive sense, may just highlight why Benitez sticks by the 24-year-old.
“The manager tells us all the time that we have to start our defending with the strikers,” Perez said.
“He tells us that we are really important for the shape of the team.
“We have to be in good positions, and make their players feel uncomfortable. That is something we have spent a lot of time working on and trying to improve.
“It is the kind of work that is sometimes hard to see. It is not as obvious as when you are scoring or making runs into the box, but it is just as important. It is work that we have to do because it is important for the team. It worked really well (against Liverpool).”
Benitez is a manager who places great importance over making sure his sides are hard to beat.
The former Real Madrid and Liverpool boss is renowned for his ability to organise teams, and Perez’s work-rate is sure to be an attractive quality to Benitez.
Perez may well be set to continue as a number 10 for Newcastle, despite his lack of goals, with the Magpies next in action on Saturday, when they take on Southampton.
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