The 23-year-old has featured regularly in the Championship this season.
Newcastle United’s Ayoze Perez
Rafael Benitez has told the Chronicle that Newcastle United striker Ayoze Perez has the physical attributes to survive in the Championship, and insisted that the appearance is deceptive when it comes to the Spaniard.
The 23-year-old would perhaps not be backed by many when it comes to battling with the kind of defenders that most sides in the second tier boast.
However, after shining in the 6-0 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers in midweek, Benitez has suggested that Perez proved that he was not going to be pushed around, before explaining how the forward uses other aspects of his game to get the better of the opposition.
“He is stronger than he seems, but I can agree that physically to cope with the intensity of the Championship there was a question,” he told the Chronicle.
“But he showed the other day that he can do it because he is clever, so when someone has quality and has clever movement, he doesn’t need to go and challenge and tackle every time.”
After an exciting summer spending spree by the Magpies, it was perhaps possible to see a situation where a player like Perez – who, undoubtedly can bring plenty of excitement, but has sometimes struggled to back that up with productivity – could find himself falling out of favour.
And while that may have been on the cards based on his first six performances of the campaign, his display at Loftus Road confirmed that he still has lots to offer Benitez’s side.
As well as setting up the third for Jonjo Shelvey, Perez would get on the scoresheet before that to put Newcastle 2-0 up, and he will be hoping that he can keep replicating that kind of display in the coming months to help keep the side in the promotion mix.
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