AfterAleksandar Mitrovic got off the mark during Newcastle's 6-0 demolition of QPR yesterday evening, he set up an intriguing proposition for Magpies boss Rafa Benitez - who will be his main man up front this season?
Summer signing Dwight Gayle has started the season as well as one could possibly hope, with four goals in four games; when the former Crystal Palace man was brought into the squad over the summer, it was always going to be as competition for Mitrovic,who missed the first four games due to a suspension.
As mentioned,Gayle has got his Toon career off to a blistering start and has currently madehimself nigh on impossible to drop.His qualities have been laid barefor all to see, andhe's laid his claim to being the club'smain goal getter right off the bat.
But United spent a lot of money on Mitrovic, and they will not want him to languish on the substitutes bench, inevitably becoming frustrated.
Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be much chance of that happening.
Firstly, Rafa Benitez is known for chopping and changing his starting XI every game - and the Championship's busy schedule will encourage plenty of changes.
Secondly, the Serbian offers a great deal of variation, and is a good striker in his own right. Mitrovic is tall, strong and great in the air. He's also adept at holding up the balland is a good finisher, given the opportunity - in fact,playing Gayle off his shoulder is something that could prove profitable in the future.
Ultimately, what goes on behind the scenes will also have a huge bearing on who plays, and Benitez has warned all of his players that they must work hard on the training ground if they expect to make the final cut for match day.
Gayle is ahead of the Serbian at the moment, but now that he's off the mark,you can expect Mitrovic to provide his fair share of goals. It's going to bevery interesting to see how things developbetween those two as the season progresses.