Newcastle United are expected to keep hold of Aleksander Mitrović for at least next season, despite openly searching for a new striker to add to their ranks.

The 22-year-old has struggled to find a consistent run of form for the Magpies this season, which has limited the Serbian to just eight starts in the Championship.

Top goalscorer Dwight Gayle, with 21 league goals, has hampered Mitrović's chances of nailing down a place in Rafael Benitez's side, though supporters will argue that his performances, which have seen the Serb fire just four league goals, have been underwhelming.

It would be interesting to see whether Mitrović would want to stay on Tyneside if the club were to fall short of promotion - given that he hasn't featured regularly this term.

But at the age of just 22, Newcastle still view Mitrović as an exciting prospect and look to set to keep him with the hope that he will fulfil that title and truly kickstart his Magpies career.

Season struggles

After committing to the Magpies in the summer, fan favourite Mitrović looked to be a pivotal figure in the Newcastle first-team as they looked to make an instant return to the Premier League.

Things started brightly for Mitrović. After missing Newcastle's opening six games with a ban, Mitrović returned to lead the line at Queens Park Rangers, in which he grabbed the fifth goal in a 6-0 victory.

And supporters wouldn't have been wrong to think that Mitrović would begin to challenge the Magpies' starting 11 following four goals in four days, against Preston North End in October 2016.

The 26-year-old fired two goals in a 6-0 victory in an EFL Cup tie before he led the line at Deepdale in a league encounter soon after, to score both goals in a 2-1 win.

But with a mix of Gayle supplying the goals, and Mitrović not taking his chances when given them by Benitez, the Serbian has seen most of his minutes come from off the bench. In total, Mitrović has made 19 Championship appearances, but 11 of those have been as a substitute.

Premier League platform for Mitro

Although many have been critical of Mitrović this season, a return to the top flight for the Toon Army could well suit Mitrović.

Despite Newcastle suffering relegation from the Premier League last season, Mitrović did show signs of decent form in Newcastle's relegation run-in.

The Serb rose at the back post to head in a late equaliser to prevent local rivals, Sunderland, earning their seventh consecutive win over the Magpies. There was also two goals at Norwich City for Mitrović, albeit that ending a late defeat for Benitez' side.

And on the final day of last season, the ex-Anderlecht striker showed the good and bad side to his game. Mitrović headed in the first of a 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur before being shown a red card for his challenge on Kyle Walker.

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About the author
Jordan Cronin
Sports Journalist. Editor/ Writer for the Newcastle United office.