NUFC loanee Adam Armstrong has admitted he will have to ‘assess his situation’ at the club this summer, with the 21-year-old having endured four loan moves away from St James’ Park over the last three years.
After a frustrating spell with Bolton over the first half of the season, his latest loan move to Blackburn has worked wonders, seeing him score 7 goals in 12 appearances at Ewood Park.
He still has two years left to run on his contract at the club, however you can’t help but feel he’ll have to prove himself at a higher level than League One if he’s ever going to be given his big chance by Benitez.
Here’s what he’s had to say when addressing his future with Newcastle United this week:
“Obviously they’re concentrating on the Premier League which is a massive thing so hopefully they can stay up.
“I keep in contact with the Under-23s coach now and then but I’m focused more on getting my head down and doing well for Blackburn.
“It’s been hard to get to a game this season but I’ve got a lot of good friends there and I always check the results because I’m still a massive fan.
“The plan is to go back in the summer and assess the situation because I’ve still got two years left on my contract.”
The England international then admitted that Wayne Rooney is a player he’s always looked up to – despite the West Denton born striker seeing Alan Shearer as his childhood hero.
He then admitted that the former Newcastle number 9 has helped him out a lot, giving him some precious advice during their chats:
“I grew up watching Alan Shearer, who is probably my hero from childhood, but I’ve always looked up to Wayne Rooney.
“I’ve had a few chats with him and he’s helped me out a lot.
“When I see him he just tells me to keep working hard, keep making runs like I’m doing and then things will work out for me. It’s great of him to do.”
Hopefully Armstrong can continue to bang them in at Blackburn and guide them to promotion. A season-long loan spell with them in the Championship could be a good gauge of whether he’s actually able to score goals in the second tier.
You get the feeling he’ll have to prove he can do that before he’s given a shot by Benitez in the Premier League.
