Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden has praised​ teammate Dwight Gayle as one of the best strikers he has ever played with.





Gayle, 26, has been in terrific form so far this season, leading Newcastle's promotion charge with 16 Championship goals in as many appearances, including a hat-trick on Saturday against Birmingham City.





Speaking to ​Newcastle's official club website, Hayden revealed his side are happy relying on the former Crystal Palace striker, knowing he will more often score than miss when given the opportunity.

​​ “Anything inside the box, we know that nine times out of ten he’s going to put it in the back of the net,” Hayden, who has made 19 league appearances so far this season, stated .





“He’s a fantastic finisher – he’s the best finisher I've played with, certainly, especially in and around the box. Anything that drops, you’re confident he’s going to score.





“It’s great to have a player like that in the team. It’s not only his goals, but the things that go unnoticed; his work rate today was fabulous, and it is every game. He stretches defences and by doing that, he gives more players time and space on the ball. He’s an important player for us.”

Good to get back to winning ways today, recover and focus on Wednesday! Thank you for your support! #NUFC pic.twitter.com/6jn6xQ8B6Q — Isaac Hayden (@IsaacHayden65) December 10, 2016

Gayle's treble, alongside a Yoan Gouffran strike, helped Rafa Benitez's side pick up three points to reclaim the top spot in the Championship from Brighton, and Hayden confirmed it was important to start winning games after a dip in form.





“I think it was imperative that we got back to winning ways. It wasn't the greatest week last week – I don’t think that some of our performances deserved the results that we got.





“Today, it was important that we did get back to winning ways and got the three points. It was a resounding win. To get back to winning ways in the way we did was obviously pleasing, but the main thing today was just getting the three points on the board.”

Dwight Gayle has scored two more league goals than Sunderland this season... pic.twitter.com/QOuS0EFiRT — Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) December 10, 2016



