Newcastle’s January transfer window was one of the biggest and most important in the club’s history, as it represented the first time money was spent under their new owners.
It also brought with it five new signings, of which four cost the club a total of £90million.
Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Bruno Guimarães, Dan Burn and Matt Targett all arrived on Tyneside in the first month of the year as the Magpies set about boosting their survival hopes and securing their Premier League status under Eddie Howe.
But there is one signing who could be set to grab headlines ahead of the rest, and it was the final one signed under previous owner Mike Ashley last summer.
Mexican forward Santiago Munoz, 19, arrived on transfer deadline day in August and could be set for his first involvement with the Newcastle squad ahead of this weekend’s tie with Brighton & Hove Albion.
How many more wins do you think Newcastle need in order to secure their Premier League status this season? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Munoz was signed on an 18-month loan deal from Mexican side Santos Laguna on August 31 but has yet to make a single appearance for the Magpies after an injury-plagued first half of the campaign.
The United States-born striker had scored three goals in 19 appearances for his parent club in Liga MX, the top tier in Mexico, last season and was signed as a promising young striker.
On the international scene, Munoz scored eight goals in 17 appearances for Mexico’s under 17 side in 2019 and helped them to win the CONCACAF Championship and finish as runners-up at the World Cup.
He has since represented their under-23 side, making three appearances and helping them to qualify for the 2020 Olympics.
But a slow start to life on Tyneside has been caused by injuries, with Munoz being completely left out of the picture up until the new year.
However, he finally made his debut in an under-23’s game for the club on Monday, in a thrilling 4-3 defeat over Norwich City.
And on Tuesday, Munoz was involved in Howe’s first team training session as he looks to break into the picture just over six months after he arrived at St. James’ Park.
Allan Saint-Maximin was absent from the 2-0 victory over Brentford on Saturday due to a calf injury and it remains to be seen as to whether he will have recovered in time to feature against Brighton this weekend.
And for that reason, Munoz could be in line to feature in the matchday squad at his expense, which could potentially give Newcastle fans their first glimpse of the summer signing.
But at least for now, Munoz is involved in training with the first team squad following his full recovery from injury, so it could only be a matter of time before he finally gets his first minutes under his belt in the black and white stripes.
