There’s a lot of Newcastle United supporters who always believed in Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Despite being something of a loose cannon, the Serbia striker’s potential was obvious after joining under Steve McClaren in 2015.
However, McClaren’s successor, Rafael Benitez, never really took to the enigmatic striker and Newcastle – then owned by Mike Ashley – ultimately sold the hitman to Fulham in 2018.
But any Magpie fan who believed Mitrovic was the real deal can feel vindicated.
That’s because, well, he is the real deal.
The 27-year-old fired the Cottagers to victory over Peterborough United in midweek, taking his tally to 33 Championship goals this season despite the fact it’s still only February.
In doing so, Mitrovic broke Ivan Toney’s record for the amount of goals scored in England’s second tier – and remarkably, managed the feat in 14 fewer Championship appearances [Sky Sports].
There’s really no telling how many the former Newcastle attacker – who cost the Londoners £22 million – could wind up scoring come May and it’ll be fascinating to see if he’s better in the Premier League than he once was.
The former Anderlecht marksman has an okay record in the top flight, netting 24 goals in 104 appearances.
But since leaving St James’s Park, he is slowly but surely maturing into a very different animal and no doubt those who believed in him on Tyneside will be interested to see how he fares in the Premier League next season, with Fulham boasting an 11-point cushion in the top two.
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