Eddie Howe insists he has never spoken to Miguel Almiron about Jack Grealish's end of season swipe at his playmaker - and insists the player of the month candidate is a joy to work with.
Grealish quipped in a video clip that team-mate Riyad Mahrez deserved to be subbed during his club's final game of the season vs Aston Villa because he "played like Almiron". But since that moment Almiron has blasted his way to the top five of the Premier League scoring charts with seven goals.
And he is now in contention for player of the month and goal of the month with Newcastle. His team-mate Bruno Guimaraes, also nominated for the award, says fans should vote for him. Howe played down any talk that he had used the Grealish swipe as motivation for the Paraguay skipper.
After his stunning strike against Aston Villa, Howe said it would be great to see him win an award: "We'd love him to, but we don't expect him to be scoring from 25 yards every week!
"I get just as much pleasure from the second goal against Fulham, a tap-in in the six-yard box. They're the goals that you'd love our players to deliver every week."
Howe also feels that Bruno's move to ask fans to vote for Almiron sums up the team spirit at United right now. He said: "I thought it was a lovely gesture. I don't think there was any game attached to that, I think he was genuine in his love for Miggy and feels he deserves the accolade. It sums up Bruno and in part, sums up the team."
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