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Slimani ready to help Newcastle avoid relegation

Cape Town - Algeria international Islam Slimani is eager to help Newcastle United improve, after completing his loan move from Leicester City on Wednesday night.

The 29-year-old became the Foxes' record signing in 2016 when he completed a £28m transfer from Sporting Lisbon.

However, he has struggled to establish himself and has been reduced to a bit-part player at the club, starting only two Premier League games this campaign.

Slimani said, according to Sky Sports: "It's a great thing for me and for Newcastle. I'm happy to be here. Hopefully, I can come here and be able to give them a hand.

"Knowing the power of the fans and crowd here and how great they are, and also speaking to the manager, it gave me the confidence that this was the right choice."

Magpies manager Rafa Benitez is pleased to add Slimani's experience to the team and is hoping he will give United's attack more variety.

Benitez added: "Slimani is a player with experience in the Premier League, and obviously we were looking for that.

"He is a player who can fight with defenders, challenge and score goals. Hopefully, he can give us some experience and some different characteristics to the strikers that we have at the moment."

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