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Newcastle United Premier League • England £51m Newcastle star tells Matthias Jaissle he wants to play as a striker and gets immediate response Matias Fernandez-Pardo has told Newcastle United that he wants to play as a striker, according to a reliable report, which has also revealed manager Matthias Jaissle’s reaction to his demands. Newcastle signed Fernandez-Pardo from Lille in the summer transfer window. The Premier League club paid Lille as much as £51million for the 21-year-old Belgium international, who can play as a striker or as a winger. Fernandez-Pardo scored eight goals in 41 appearances for Lille last season and was also part of the Belgium squad at the 2026 World Cup. According to The Daily Mail, the youngster wants to play as a striker and has made that clear to manager Jaissle. The report, written by the respected journalist Craig Hope, has added that Jaissle, who replaced Eddie Howe as the Newcastle manager in the summer, has agreed to Fernandez-Pardo’s demands. DON’T MISS: Liverpool want to sign £70m Newcastle centre-back to replace Virgil van Dijk Matias Fernandez-Pardo gets his Newcastle United wish The report has stated: ‘Matias Fernandez-Pardo has told Newcastle he wants to start matches as a No 9 – and that is where they intend to play him. ‘The 21-year-old finished the campaign as a centre forward at Lille, but up until March, he had spent most of his time on the left wing. ‘The season before, he started only once as a striker in Ligue 1. ‘However, that is the position Fernandez-Pardo spoke about during talks to sign him last month. ‘Now he is in the building, the plan to use him there remains unaltered.’ READ NEXT: Newcastle deal hammer blow to Man Utd pursuit of Lewis Hall as new multi-year contract agreed