Newcastle attacker Yoshinori Muto is surely in last chance saloon

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Newcastle United attacked Yoshinori Muto is surely fighting for his St. James’ Park career.

The 29-cap Japan international has made just nine appearances in all competitions this term and scored one goal for the Toon Army.

Now in his second season at the club, fans had expected much more from the £9.5 million signing from Mainz (BBC Sport).

His fee was deemed good business at the time, especially since the player had just caught the eye at the 2018 World Cup.

But 18 months down the line, a number of fans feel extremely underwhelmed by his contributions.

27 appearances for the club have yielded just two goals, and the 27-year-old has never really threatened to become a regular starter under Rafa Benitez or Steve Bruce.

There was no January loan exit for the forward, despite The Sunday Mirror (print edition, page 67, January 12, 2020) reporting he could be sold, and so a huge few months now await Muto.

TBR’s view – Last chance saloon?

When the currently injured Muto returns to fitness he’ll surely be fighting to save his Newcastle career.

Bruce now has some effective options up top with the likes of Andy Carroll, Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin, meaning Muto is definitely up against it.

He had a decent goalscoring record at Mainz (23 goals in 72 games) and FC Tokyo (26 in 61), but for whatever reason it just hasn’t worked out for him in England so far.

Given how few starts he’s had since joining, it is undeniable that Muto is now under serious pressure to prove his worth.

Should he continue in the same vein, it would be highly unsurprising to see the Magpies cut their losses this summer.