A key figure in Newcastle United’s remarkable rise this season under manager Eddie Howe has been Miguel Almiron, with the previously goal-shy playmaker having become something of a talisman for the Magpies of late.
The former Atlanta United sensation – who arrived at St James’ Park on a £20m deal back in January 2019 – notably took almost a year to break his scoring duck for the club, having gone on to score just nine Premier League goals across the last three and a half seasons combined.
Amid what has been a remarkable turnaround fortune both on a collective and individual level, however, the 29-year-old now leads the way on Tyneside with ten top-flight goals already this season from his right-wing berth.
The fleet-footed renaissance man has been “moving like [Lionel] Messi“, according to journalist Daniel Koranteng, as a marker of his prolific form so far this term, having been described as a “revelation” by talkSPORT pundit Darren Bent.
One potential issue for Howe and co, however, may well be the lack of quality alternatives to the Paraguayan menace on the right side of the attack, with fellow wide men Anthony Gordon and Allan Saint-Maximin typically operating on the opposite flank.
Should the Newcastle boss be looking to rotate the in-form asset any time soon he may well need to look to the academy ranks to find a potential, youthful solution, with 17-year-old Ben Parkinson seemingly a possible heir to Almiron in that role.
How is Ben Parkinson performing at youth level?
Much like the experienced machine, Parkinson has also been thriving in a right-wing berth for the Tynesiders’ youth sides of late – as well as through the middle – having scored nine goals and provided two assists in just 16 games across all fronts this season.
The teenage sensation notably netted three goals in just two outings during the club’s brief FA Youth Cup run and has also captained the side on occasion this season, seemingly earmarking him as a player who could make the step up sooner rather than later.
The Englishman has not just been thriving this season, however, with his overall record for the club in recent years now standing at 11 goals and five assists in 32 games for Newcastle’s U18 side, further rubberstamping his clinical ability in the final third.
Such quality was also recognised back in 2021 as Parkinson was named in the Guardian’s Next Generation list, with journalist Louise Taylor describing him as a ‘right winger with an eye for goal’.
That attacking threat was most recently on show in the draw with Leeds United for the Magpies’ U21 side, as the versatile forward produced an “impressive strike” on the night, in the words of the Chronicle’s Chris Knight.
Having a player of such exciting potential on the books could well end up saving PIF millions in the years to come, with there perhaps a chance for Parkinson to be afforded a role at senior level as an understudy to that man Almiron.
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