Newcastle United fans have been debating Yoshinori Muto's future after he netted his first league goal in more than two years.
The Japanese forward was sent on loan to Eibar in the summer and he opened the scoring for the Spanish club in their 2-0 win over Real Betis in La Liga on Monday.
Muto turned the ball home at the far post after a near-post flick-on from a corner to give his side the lead shortly after half-time.
It was his first goal in league football since he netted for the Magpies in October 2018 in a 3-2 loss to Manchester United, although he did score one in the League Cup last season.
It prompted fans to debate what future Muto has at St James's Park.
Muto's goal capped off a successful weekend for former Magpies players, with Joselu and Ivan Toney also finding the net for their respective clubs.
The 28-year-old thanked fans on social media after he netted, arguing the goal was proof that you will be rewarded for hard work.
He tweeted in Japanese: "Finally. It was really long.
"I reconfirmed that I would be rewarded if I continued to do it no matter how hard it was.
"Thank you to everyone who continued to support us. I will do my best without worrying about it!"
It was his first goal for Eibar in his eighth La Liga appearance for the club, having previously struggled to find the net at Newcastle.
The forward scored just twice in all competitions in the two seasons he was on Tyneside following a 2018 move from Mainz, where he was more successful.
