Newcastle United forward Joselu started for Rafael Benitez’s side in their first game of the season.
Joselu was surprisingly selected to start in Newcastle’s opener against Tottenham Hotspur, and he found the back of the net.
However, Joselu faces new competition from Salomon Rondon and Yoshinori Muto this season, after the pair of strikers were brought to St. James’ Park over the summer.
And Benitez has suggested in the Chronicle that both Rondon and Muto have qualities which are superior to last summer’s £5 million (Daily Mail) signing from Stoke.
“We talk about characteristics of a player and Rondon he is strong, he can keep the ball and link with the others, and at the same time he has more mobility,” Benitez said.
“He can give us this physicality and this kind of player that sometimes we were missing when we were under pressure.
“He can hold the ball and move forward. Joselu is doing a good job but maybe is not as strong as Rondon. He has clever movements but maybe is not as quick as Muto.”
The comments appear to suggest that Joselu could be demoted to third choice striker when Muto and Rondon are fully up to speed.
Muto and Rondon were only added at a fairly late stage of the summer, so are playing catch up with their fitness levels at Newcastle.
The pair did both make a positive impact against Tottenham though, with Rondon even hitting the crossbar.
Newcastle’s next match comes this weekend, when they take on Cardiff City.
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