Miguel Almiron may have picked the perfect time to find his shooting boots, with his brace at Fulham putting him firmly in the good books of his Newcastle United manager and the Geordie faithful. The Paraguayan has been an ever-present figure for the Magpies this term as he attempts to cement his future on Tyneside as the club ushers in a new era.
But while it may not come this Saturday against Brentford, Eddie Howe will soon have a full squad available at his disposal and a subsequent selection headache to boot - with Almiron's position in the starting XI still up for debate.
The north east outfit have only tasted defeat once this term despite one injury setback after another. At the back, Matt Targett is desperately trying to regain full fitness after a knock earlier in the season. Further up the pitch Jonjo Shelvey's campaign was derailed with an early hamstring problem, while Bruno Guimaraes picked up a similar issue back in September.
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However, it is in attack where Newcastle have bore the brunt of their fitness frailties. Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson and summer signing Alexander Isak have all spent time on the treatment in recent weeks, with only Almiron managing to boast of a clean bill of health since August.
The expectation is that Saint-Maximin will return for the Brentford clash this weekend after narrowly missing out on the 4-1 win at Fulham on Saturday. Isak's injury with Sweden in the recent international break may keep him out beyond the St James' Park clash on October 8 but with the major money spent on his arrival, he will be knocking on the door for a first-team return as soon as he is fighting fit once more.
So, what does Howe do when the attacking quartet are all fit to start? The two potential options at the Newcastle boss' door make unpleasant reading for Almiron.
The Newcastle boss has tasted significant success in his 11 months on Tyneside with his trusted 4-3-3 system, and it will take a big call to divert from that tried and tested setup. There has been talk of sticking with the formation going forward and using Isak out wide, with the youngster playing there from time to time over the years.
In that instance, it is likely Almiron misses out over attacking counterpart Saint-Maximin. The Frenchman has been a huge miss since his recent injury setback and has enjoyed a solid start to the season when fit.
Of course, Howe could completely change his go-to formation to accommodate his two hitmen but that may see Newcastle opt against using both two wingers and two centre-forwards. Kieran Trippier's willingness to bomb forward and join attacks may hurt Almiron's chances of holding down a starting role if Howe opts to use wing-backs over wide attackers in his new-look team.
Of course, this is all speculation until Howe has the chance to use Wilson and Isak together. One thing is for sure, however, and that is Almiron has certainly given Howe a selection dilemma to ponder in the coming weeks.
“I’ve seen it. Crystal Palace last year, the goal he scored that day was an individual goal and had similar parts to it to today’s goal,” the Newcastle manager said after the wide man's brace on Saturday.
"He’s capable of doing magical things and for me that was a magical goal. I’m delighted for Miggy, he’s such an infectious character, his work sort of epitomises our play really so it was great to see.”
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