Newcastle United should hand Yoshinori Muto the chance to impress against Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle United travel to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night for an EFL Cup second round tie, which gives manager Rafael Benitez the opportunity to perhaps rotate a few players.
The Magpies are winless in their opening three Premier League games and know they have a daunting trip to reigning champions Manchester City in their next league match.
The North East club should perhaps look at a few fringe figures in the cup to see if they could impact their early league form, with summer signing Yoshinori Muto someone who deserves an opportunity to impress.
The attacker has been deployed as a substitute so far this season, but should be given the chance to put down a marker against Forest with his first start for the club.
He is a 26-year-old that has shown glimpses of his quality with a great work-rate and technical ability, but a full 90 minutes under this belt will help massively.
The Japan international appears down Benitez’s pecking order as it stands and needs the chance to show he can be a first-team regular.
Muto looks like being in direct competition with Ayoze Perez for an attacking role behind the striker, but he’s got the flexibility to battle centre-forwards Salomon Rondon and Joselu too for a spot in the starting XI.
He showed at Bundesliga club Mainz that he can be a goal threat and it’s still very early days into his career in English football.
However, Newcastle need to unleash him on Championship opponents Forest and see if he is ready for more action in the top flight.
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