Miguel Almiron was in poor form as Newcastle United lost 2-1 to Everton on Saturday.

On the chalkboard

The Paraguay international played in central midfield in a 3-5-2 formation against the Toffees, alongside Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden.

However, he struggled to properly impact the game.

He had 34 touches of the ball across the 90 minutes and had four shots on goal, hitting the post once and missing the target with his other three, per WhoScored.

But Almiron failed to register a key pass and completed just one dribble of the three he attempted.

Playing in midfield, he was also dribbled past once and made just one successful tackle.

This was a performance that did little to actually help his side, apart from the shot that hit the post.

Too lightweight

Almiron needs some time out of the starting XI.

In a 3-5-2 formation, one has to think that he was always going to struggle when it came to playing in the centre.

Against Gylfi Sigurdsson and Tom Davies –hardly two powerful midfielders – he did not have the time or the opportunity to create anything for Newcastle.

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Of course, he has struggled throughout the season, playing 19 times in the Premier League and scoring just one goal and providing just one assist.

Really, manager Steve Bruce ought to consider dropping the 25-year-old.

There's no doubting the energy he brings to the team but he has averaged a rating of just 6.59 in the top-flight per WhoScored, and one has to question whether he can really be a consistently effective player in the Premier League.

It is time to start leaving him out. That doesn't have to be a permanent situation, but at this point Almiron should be tasked with proving he can influence games from the bench rather than allowing him endless chances.

Meanwhile, a Newcastle target has had some glowing reviews prior to the January transfer window.