Wednesday 24 December 2014 11:04, UK
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is excited at the prospect of Ayoze Perez linking up with Siem de Jong.
De Jong is back in training after four months out with a hamstring injury, and Pardew is hoping to have the Netherlands international back in the first-team fold in the New Year.
That sets up the prospect of De Jong, 25, playing alongside Perez, who has caught the eye with four goals and a series of impressive performances.
Pardew, who confirmed he will be in the market for a new striker in January, said: "I looked at Siem with adoring eyes this morning (Tuesday) because those games with packed defences, with him and Perez in the same team, we'll unlock anyone at any level, so it's important he returns in good health.
Those games with packed defences, with him and Perez in the same team, we'll unlock anyone at any level, so it's important he returns in good health.
"Moussa (Sissoko) can play that No 10 role, and it's such an important role in the Premier League. It's massively important. It's a position that can dictate the game.
"Yohan Cabaye used to do it for us. Cabaye dictates the game from No 10, Moussa can impact the game. Siem is more like Cabaye and will help us control games."
Pardew admits Perez, 21, has taken him by surprise since his arrival from Tenerife.
Perez is hardly the most physically imposing striker to pull on a Newcastle shirt, but he has come to terms with the rough and tumble of English football far more quickly that some of the other new arrivals, and carried the main threat during Sunday's 1-0 derby defeat by Sunderland.
"I think if you said at the start of the year he would be in this position, I would have said that was unlikely,” he said.
"His physical improvement has been immense. He was already technically accomplished, which was obvious when he arrived, but his physical attributes and mentality in games have improved massively.
"He enjoys playing against top opposition as much as lesser opposition, and that bodes well. We have been absolutely reliant on him in a lot of ways.
"I said at the start of the year we were a striker light and we really needed someone to come through and help us out - and he's done that. I'm not talking about the transfer window, but we need another striker if we can get one."
Pardew, whose team play Manchester United on Boxing Day, added: "Don't get me wrong, I don't want Perez to be a big brute of a player. He's never going to be that, but there is a strength in holding players off the ball and it's something Remy Cabella needs to gain.
"When he (Perez) first arrived, he looked too light in training and was knocked off the ball far too easily. He didn't hold his own in tight areas. But now he does in training and in matches.
"He's not going to grow much bigger and I don't want him to. That wiry strength is a big part of his game.
"He did a couple of tricks on Sunday that I don't think anybody else on the pitch could have produced. His feet are so fast. He's been a real asset.
"He's not a natural goalscorer, more a natural forward. He can do the other side of the game, a bit like Wayne Rooney. He can mix it in the midfield and score goals."
