Why Aleksander Mitrovic Deserves Another Chance in the Newcastle First Team

Aleksander Mitrovic seems to be out of Rafael Benitez's plans at Newcastle at the start of the season, much to the dismay of many Newcastle fans.

Benitez clearly doesn't rate the player after not playing him in either of Newcastle's first two Premier League games, instead bringing on Joselu against Huddersfield.

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Rafa is thought to want to get Mitrovic out this summer to make room for new arrivals, with clubs from Turkey and Spain reportedly interested in the striker.

However, the Magpies boss may want to think twice about letting Mitrovic go, as he offers something different to the other strikers at his disposal.

Mitrovic loves the club. His passion is undeniable and when he gets on the pitch he puts 100% into every game he plays.

When he signed for the club he claimed he wanted to be the next Alan Shearer, he knows the clubs history and he wants to be a part of the future. Letting someone go that has that passion and drive, could well be a costly mistake by Benitez especially as it looks like he'll need all the work-rate and desire he can find from his players, in order to survive this season.

Not only that but Mitrovic is still only 22-years-old. Benitez has said that he likes to develop his players and when he was signed from Anderlecht for £14m, he came touted as a player with bags of potential to become a world class striker.

If Benitez were to give the Serbian game time as well as his expert coaching, there's no doubt that Mitrovic could be a threat to any Premier League defence.

He's a large physical striker that's good in the air which can further cause problems to poorly organised defenses. This physicality combined with his work rate is something Dwight Gayle doesn't posses, as shown by the Englishman going missing in the first two Premier League games.

Although Joselu is thought to provide these attributes and played well when he came on at Huddersfield, he's 27-years-old and doesn't seem to possess the same passion and drive as the younger Mitrovic.

Another thing that baffles many is that Mitrovic is a first team starter for Serbia. Not only that but he's successful for his country and has scored five goals in as many games so far in the World Cup qualifiers.

If Mitrovic can score regularly on the international stage, then why not give him another chance in the Premier League? Newcastle need to change something otherwise it's going to be a long hard season.

New signings could help Rafael Benitez's cause, but surely there are worse players on the Newcastle fringes to try and offload than the young Serbian.