Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce could fix Rafa Benitez's major Newcastle howler by signing Adam Armstrong this summer.

What's the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months have suggested that the Magpies are leading the race to sign the Blackburn Rovers striker, with a number of other Premier League clubs also said to be interested.

And, former Newcastle ace Steve Howey has suggested that Armstrong would jump at the chance to move back to St James' Park, saying: "I think he’d relish the chance of coming back and he’d be desperate to score goals because he is a goalscorer and we've seen him score some excellent goals for Blackburn.

"I think he’d be desperate for the chance to come back but it’s just whether the club are prepared to make that move."

Bruce's perfect chance

With 28 goals in 40 Championship games this season, it's fair to say Armstrong has more than showed the kind of talent that he possess, and it just raises real question marks as to why Benitez sold him in the first place.

The Spaniard opened up on the decision to let Armstrong go on a permanent deal, saying: "Sometimes you have to think about the best for everyone.

"When a young player has no chance of playing too many minutes in the team it is important for him and everybody around him to realise he has to play. It was a good move for him and he has had minutes there. He is playing regularly at a good level."

Benitez could have, and probably should have, shown more faith in the young striker back when he was in charge at St James' Park, and offered him the kind of confidence and faith showed to players who arrive for big-money deals for example.

He made just 21 appearances for the Magpies before his departure, and his boss at Ewood Park, Tony Mowbray, has hailed the kind of progress he has made since joining his club.

He said: "He’s a goalscorer. He always has been. I took him to Coventry because I saw him score some amazing goals for England Under-19s. He scores off both feet, he’s electrically fast off the mark, he’s got all the attributes.

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"As long as you’ve got players who can slide him in, put passes over the top, put the ball in space for him he’ll score goals. His explosive pace at the top end of the pitch allows you to play both ways. It's a devastating effect for the team."

With Howey's claim that the £14k-a-week earning Armstrong would surely "relish" the chance of joining the Magpies, it's surely the perfect time for Newcastle's current boss Bruce to fix one of Benitez's biggest mistakes at St James' Park.

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