Eddie Howe has explained his logic after leaving Miguel Almiron out of his starting line-up against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Paraguay international came off the bench to score the winner against Wolves and helped end a run of five matches without a victory in the Premier League for the Magpies. But Howe insists he did not drop his top scorer and that the decision will pay dividends later in the season.
Howe said: "I would not say he'd had a tough six weeks. I think he has been excellent.
