Fernandez-Pardo Keen For New Newcastle Role Vs Leeds

· GiveMeSport

Matias Fernandez-Pardo has caught the eye in his first two appearances for Newcastle following his £51m transfer from Lille

Matthias Jaissle and Newcastle United have the chance to keep their unbeaten Premier League run going when they return to action against Leeds United on Monday.

Amid a summer of change at St James' Park and the uncertainty of how they would fare under Jaissle following Eddie Howe's exit, the Magpies have won one and drawn two of their opening three league games.

Newcastle are also safely through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup following a slender 1-0 win at Millwall on Tuesday evening.

It has been a strong start to the campaign for the club, especially with a lot of change in the playing staff as well following high-profile departures for the likes of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon.

Of those coming in, Lukas Hornicek, Amar Dedic and Nico Gonzalez have so far caught the eye and delivered strong showings.

Newcastle fans are also looking to see more of fellow new arrival Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who joined in a £51million deal from Lille on transfer deadline day.

The Belgian international made quite a name for himself in France with the Ligue 1 club and all on Tyneside have high hopes for him in the seasons ahead.

The 21-year-old has so far had to settle for appearances off the bench in his two outings following his transfer but he has given everyone a glimpse of just what he can offer .

Fernandez-Pardo played his part in Joe Willock's goal at Millwall on Tuesday evening with a reverse pass that allowed Lewis Hall to nip into the area and put the ball across goal for his teammate to find the far corner.

All connected with Newcastle want to see more of the Belgian in action, starting on Monday at Elland Road against Leeds United.

Fernandez-Pardo will likely see an increase in minutes but it's not clear yet whether he will be in a position to start.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Thursday about how close the summer signing is to starting, Jaissle said: " Yeah, he's getting closer. I said that we need to be smart with his load management . Now he's getting more and more minutes.

"He has now almost a full training week to Leeds, that helps him a lot. I think it's the first time now since he arrived, and then we can make the decision on Sunday, maybe even on Monday."

It does appear that it will be a late decision on whether Fernandez-Pardo starts at Leeds.

The player undoubtedly has the quality to be a big hit in the Premier League and now it is about Jaissle unleashing him in a Newcastle shirt.

According to the Daily Mail, Fernandez-Pardo has told Newcastle that he wants to start as a No.9 .

The youngster mainly operated from the left for Lille before he was moved up front on a consistent basis in the final three months of last campaign.

Amid Will Osula's injury and Yoane Wissa's struggles as a striker in the past couple of games , Jaissle has the perfect opportunity to go with Fernandez-Pardo from the off at Elland Road depending on his fitness levels.

Newcastle's new signings have flourished so far and there's a good chance the Belgian international will do exactly the same going on the qualities he possesses.

With Leeds away and Hull at home coming up prior to the first international break of the season, Fernandez-Pardo has a golden opportunity to try and cement his place in the forward line for the months ahead.

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