Miguel Almiron is a "bloody good player" who deserves more credit for his work on and off the ball for Newcastle United .
That's the view of pundit Alex Bruce, who believes the Paraguayan international is a "dream" for the Magpies' head coach.
Almiron took almost a year to break his goalscoring drought in black and white, netting his first goal for the club with the winner against Crystal Palace in December.
The former record signing now has four goals to his name this season, and previous criticism from pundits and sections of supporters has focused on his attacking returns.
However, Almiron has established himself as a key player under both Rafa Benitez and Steve Bruce, and has also drawn praise for his work rate on behalf of the team.
Speaking to Football Insider, Alex Bruce believes the 26-year-old efforts on the pitch for United can only be fully appreciated if watching the match live.
The retired defender said: “When you’re a football player and you know your stuff about football, if you go and watch him live, you realise that, in my opinion, Almiron’s a real top, top player.
“His work rate, he’s such a good teammate to have, the amount of miles he covers.
“Yes, you might want him to score more goals but you just have a look and him and think: ‘Wow, what a good player to have.’
“He takes you up the pitch, he works back, he does the ugly things brilliantly and I think he’s only just now getting the credits that he deserves because people are standing up and going, ‘he’s a bloody good player, this lad’.
“I know my dad loves him, he’s a manager’s dream with the work rate that he puts in. He turns up every single week and he tries his socks off and as a manager, you can’t ask for any more.”
