Rafa Benitez assesses link up of Newcastle United's 'Three Amigos' as Magpies boss gives verdict on Miguel Almiron impact
Rafa Benitez believes the best is yet to come from Newcastle United front trio Salomon Rondon, Ayoze Perez and £21million man Miguel Almiron.
Since Almiron made the club record switch to United at the end of the January window, the Paraguayan has linked up well with Venezuelan striker Rondon and fellow Spanish speaker Ayoze Perez.
That early promise has led to a number of pundits claiming the Magpies now possess the most dangerous front three in the bottom half of the Premier League and some fans naming them 'The Three Amigos'.
While manager Rafa Benitez has been impressed with the trio in recent weeks, he thinks their West Ham performance - in which United were comfortably beaten 2-0 - was not a fair reflection on the players', or his team's talents.
When asked about the link up between Almiron, Perez and Rondon, Benitez said: "They find each other when we are in possession.
"But against West Ham it was more about the mistakes we made at the beginning so they couldn't do it as much as they wanted."
Benitez, too, has been impressed with the player's attitude, even when things did not go to plan at the London Stadium.
"Against West Ham he was working hard, it was not easy because mentally we killed ourselves at the beginning with the two goals," said the manager.
"We needed to react, and hopefully you are expecting players to show character, which they did during the second half.
"At least we saw this character, we tried different things, we changed players, we changed shape, and everyone was trying. But, against a good team, as soon as you make a mistake and you give the ball away in counter-attacks, they are quite dangerous. Still we had the chances.
"Miguel was trying like the rest of the players and showed he can do it."