Luuk de Jong is confident that he can fill the void at Newcastle United left by Loic Remy.
Remy is sidelined with a calf problem (or so we are told), and is not expected to be fit until next month.
Rumours around the city suggest the Frenchman is simply "taking time out" in preparation for the World Cup, but we cannot confirm or deny that.
Newcastle have not won a Premier League game without the on-loan forward this season, and have failed to score in the six matches he has not featured in.
Which is were you expect De Jong to step up to the plate, and sadly, that has yet to happen.
Fellow loanee De Jong is looking to earn a permanent move from Borussia Monchengladbach, but it's time he showed he can find the back of the net.
Luuk de Jong: “You can see that other players can score goals.
“In the game against Hull, we scored four goals.
“Of course, Loic is a good player. Also, Mathieu (Debuchy) – who is not there – is a good player as well.
“But we’ve got players who can fill in as well. We have to work hard in training again.
“We can’t always depend on them, but they are good players, and you will always miss good players.
“Where we are now, we just want to win games.
“We’ve got Crystal Palace at home. We need to work hard.
“It will be a difficult game, like any Premier League game. That’s what we’re focused on.”
Borussia Monchengladbach want £8m for the Dutchman. As it stands, he has not scored a single goal for the club, and that is a big gamble on a striker yet to find his feet.
He does not have a good reputation in Germany, and there is not a club in the Bundesliga who would pay anywhere near £8m for him.
His future is in his own hands, and it could change of course. He has nine games to earn a deal.
