Having left Newcastle permanently in the summer of 2018, it’s fair to say Adam Armstrong has gone from strength to strength at Blackburn Rovers.

The striker initially arrived at Ewood Park on a short-term loan earlier in that year, and after netting nine goals in 21 games for them, it was a no-brainer that Rovers looked to tie him up permanently.

The striker made just 21 appearances in total for Newcastle before then manager Rafa Benitez took the decision to let him go, and it’s a call that has surely seen the Magpies regret it ever since.

Callum Wilson’s arrival in the summer transfer window has appeared to finally be the solution to their striking woes, but the likes of Joelinton and Andy Carroll over the past couple of seasons have been nothing short of disasters.

Armstrong’s form at Ewood Park just makes a mockery of the fact that the Tyneside club let him go, and when you look at the kind of start he has enjoyed to the new season this year, it just makes it all the more galling.

In eight games across all competitions, he’s scored six goals, including netting a stunning hat-trick in a 5-0 thrashing of Wycombe in the Championship. That performance led to Rovers boss, Steve Mowbray, to wax lyrical about his centre-forward, saying: “He’s playing down the middle after spending two years playing off the left wing for us, but we’ve always known that he can score goals and will score goals.

“Adam’s another one who’s a real joy to have, a low maintenance footballer who just wants to play, score and win. The attributes he possesses are fantastic and he was disappointed that he didn’t score one or two more against Wycombe at the weekend. But he got the hat-trick, he got the matchball and he’ll be delighted with that. We’ll have to keep rolling with him and keep improving him.”

Newcastle had a top-class, young English striker in their ranks, and all they needed was to show a bit of patience. Instead, they made the hasty decision to cut their losses, and Armstrong has since proven them wrong big-time.