The Spaniard acknowledged his predecessor’s achievements on Twitter.
Newcastle United striker Ayoze Perez says it is “an honour” to belong to the same club as Alan Shearer, after a statue to “properly recognise” the iconic number 9’s career was unveiled outside of St. James’ Park.
The statue, which cost £250,000 to build, was kept under wraps over the weekend and finally unveiled on Monday in front of hundreds of fans.
Shearer, 46, scored 178 goals in 360 games for his hometown team, whom he later went on to manage, during a decade of service which came to an end in 2006.
And Perez took to Twitter earlier to acknowledge his predecessor’s achievements.
He posted:
Perez has some way to go to emulate Shearer’s success on Tyneside, though at 23 the Spaniard has plenty of time in which to manage it.
Signed from Spanish second tier side Tenerife two years ago, Perez has scored 15 goals in 83 Magpies appearances – including two from seven this season.
Rafa Benitez’s side travel to Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday, with Perez, who assisted DeAndre Yedlin’s goal during a 14-minute cameo at Derby County on Saturday, in contention to make his fourth league start of the season.
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