The biggest casualty of Newcastle United's Rafalution, which has proved to be by no means as exciting as such a militant pseudonym might suggest, has come in the form of a 6 foot 2 Serbian international once compared to Alan Shearer - Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Such flattery was inevitably premature but the hot-headed striker was certainly etching near the realms of fan favourite on Tyneside last season, as his nine goals in the Premier League gave a largely apathetic Magpies side half a chance of avoiding relegation.

Four of those goals came after Rafa Benitez took the Newcastle job in March, highlighting how Mitrovic had developed throughout the course of his debut Premier League campaign and made himself a key figure for an incoming manager during the business end of the season, when every game had the importance of a cup final as Championship football loomed.

But fast forward twelve months from Benitez's arrival - almost to the day - and Mitrovic finds himself an increasingly marginalised figure in the former Champions League winner's plans, issued just eight starts in the Championship and excluded from two of the last three matchday squads - whilst he was left on the bench as Newcastle suffered a 3-1 defeat to Fulham on Saturday.

Indeed, the Championship hasn't been too kind to Mitrovic, paradoxically so. Whilst his physicality and aggression proved a menace in the Premier League, it's run of the mill for second-tier football; where most sides have an old-fashioned centre-forward in their squad and every team has at least one towering centre-back in the team specifically to try and stop them. Mitrovic's style has played directly into the hands of the opposition, whereas Dwight Gayle's nippiness and cute finishing has set him apart from the rest of the strikers in the division.

The irony, however, is that Mitrovic can still be a force in the top flight. He proved as much last season and aged just 22, we're still yet to see the Serb anywhere close to the maximum of his abilities. No doubt, there are obvious weaknesses to his game - most particularly his incredibly poor disciplinary record - but goalscorers in the Premier League are worth their weight in gold and Mitrovic already has nine strikes under his belt.

Likewise, whereas that physicality has struggled to stand out in the Championship, it can be a real nuisance in the top flight, especially with centre-halves more slight and technical than ever before. He's a throwback to more attritional times and could run a modern-day defender like John Stones ragged if given the right kind of service.

As the Championship's pace setters, Newcastle look certain to be back in the Premier League next season and whether or not they decide to sell him, Mitrovic should be there too. In terms of potential suitors, West Ham inevitably stand out, having been linked with the 26-cap international ahead of the January transfer window.

The Hammers' results this season have depended almost entirely on the presence of Andy Carroll - they've won just 23% of their games without him in the starting XI - and Mitrovic would be the perfect stand-in for the English target man, whose injury problems have made him unreliable from Slaven Bilic's perspective.

He's got that feisty character we've often seen from West Ham front-men down the years, particularly Paolo Di Canio and John Hartson, which always galvanises a particularly militant fan base, and with Newcastle seemingly ready to sell, landing a young striker with proven Premier League scoring credentials on the cheap could prove a masterstroke from the east Londoners.

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