Gayle is the most in-form English centre-forward right now after another treble on Saturday.
Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden has told the club’s official website that on-fire forward Dwight Gayle is the most clinical finisher he has ever played with.
The former Crystal Palace striker slammed home his second hat-trick of the season as he spearheaded a return to winning ways for the Magpies in their 4-0 beating of Birmingham City at St James’ Park on Saturday.
Gayle has now scored an incredible 16 goals in 15 league starts this season, putting him comfortably on track to obliterate Glenn Murray’s Championship record of 30 from the 2012/13 season.
And Hayden insists that he has never worked with a striker as prolific as the 26-year-old throughout his career.
“Anything inside the box, we know that nine times out of ten he’s going to put it in the back of the net,” Hayden told nufc.co.uk.
“He’s a fantastic finisher – he’s the best finisher I’ve played with, certainly, especially in and around the box. Anything that drops, you’re confident he’s going to score.
“It’s great to have a player like that in the team. It’s not only his goals, but the things that go unnoticed; his work rate today was fabulous and it is every game.
“He stretches defences and by doing that, he gives more players time and space on the ball. He’s an important player for us.”
Newcastle’s chances of returning to the Premier League immediately after relegation came under tentative questioning after successive league defeats but, with a centre-forward as lethal as Gayle in their ranks, it would be the surprise of the century if Rafael Benitez’s side were not a Premier League team this time next year.
As it stands, Gayle is cruising towards the Championship Golden Boot, three clear of Brentford’s Scott Hogan and four ahead of proven second tier marksman Murray.
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