Christian Atsu has started Newcastle United's last two Premier League matches, but he has brutally admitted that he simply hasn't been good enough as he is eager to improve his consistency levels.
Last season, under the stewardship of Rafa Benitez, Atsu only scored one Premier League goal as he failed to provide any assists for his teammates [transfermarkt].
His struggles are there for all to see, but he can also see where his problems lie as he stated that has been working hard to improve his game.
“I think this is going to be an important season for me,” said Atsu, as quoted by the Northen Echo. "I have been here for four years now – I have had some good times and played some good games, but I still don’t really think people have been able to see the best of me, certainly not on a consistent basis.
"The biggest thing for me this season is to be consistent. I’ve had some good performances with Newcastle, but I need to start being more consistent and keeping my standards at the same level through the season.
“That is probably what has held me back in my time at Newcastle so far – I haven’t been consistent enough – and I am working as hard as I can to try to improve that. I feel as though my fitness is getting better, and hopefully, that will help me when I am on the pitch."
In 2017, Newcastle secured the permanent signature of Atsu when they paid Chelsea £6 million for his services [Sky Sports].
Whilst Atsu has the pace to play in England's top-flight, he hasn't been able to use it consistently, but he is now hoping to be more efficient in front of goal.