Eddie Howe has heaped praise on two-goal Miguel Almiron after his superb display against Benfica last night in Lisbon - and hopes it can be a sign of things to come.
Almiron struck two equalisers against the Portuguese giants and showed his quality and composure in front of goal when it was needed. The Paraguay skipper scored just once for the Magpies last term and Howe wants to see more of the same from his display against Benfica.
He said: "It was excellent from Miggy and he could have scored another one as well. So getting goals from him in good goalscoring positions was great. His finishing was excellent, his second goal in particular was a great finish.
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"Miggy is such a good team player. He's great in the dressing room and every aspect of his personality is very good. I am delighted to see him scoring goals and playing with confidence. I hope it is the start of a really good season for him."
Newcastle lost 3-2 to a last minute goal with the game moments away from going to penalties to decide the Eusebio Cup. But Howe was pleased the performance, and said: "It was a really good performance. I was really pleased as it was a difficult game against high-quality opposition. It had a Premier League feel about it I thought.
"It was just what we needed at this stage for our preparations for the new season. I think both halves had some really good bits in it, some bits we need to improve. Overall I was delighted with the players' attitudes and the spirit until the end."
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