Source: FOOTYMAD
Pacheco close to start
Daniel Pacheco is close to making a first start for the first team. The reserve team striker impressed in both his subsitute appearances for the first team and has been exceptional for John McMahon's reserves all season and is edging ever closer to earning his first start for Rafael Benitez's side. "Dani is continuing to train with the first team," said the boss. "When we let [Andriy] Voronin go [to Dynamo Moscow], we immediately brought Dani into the group and every day you can see that he is progressing. His training is good. "Every day you are thinking about when you can play, he has been on the bench a lot and sometimes you are thinking when it might be right to put him on. "But you also have to think about senior players and giving time to others who need it. The one thing we know, though, is Dani is a player with quality. "He has game intelligence and we know that he can make a difference. He is still very young but we are pleased with him and he is doing well." "Dani has no problems when he is in possession. He is clever and he always wants to try difficult things but that shows the quality that he has. "The fact he is training with us shows what we think of him. He is with us all the time and that means he can play at any time. "It depends on the game but, clearly, if he continues to keep working as he has been doing, he will definitely gets his chance."
