 Matins has struggled to make an impression since his arrival from Inter |
Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has urged fans to give �10m striker Obaefemi Martins time to prove himself. The 21-year-old Nigerian has struggled to make an impression in his first two games since arriving from Inter Milan.
But Roeder said: "We must be patient, it will take him time to settle into the high tempo of the Premiership.
"We have to consider he's trying to regain full physical fitness from when he arrived from Italy having been unwell for two weeks with flu."
Martins' struggle to impress has raised fears among supporters that he will follow Albert Luque and Jean-Alain Boumsong as expensive signings who failed to live up to their price tags.
Roeder added: "I saw enough promise from him that when he plays with Shola Ameobi there is going to be a successful partnership there."
Martins was substituted in the 72nd minute as Newcastle lost 2-1 to Fulham on Saturday.
Roeder insisted: "I never expected him to get through 90 minutes - I always thought he would do well to last 70 minutes or so."
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