Newcastle new boy Ayoze Perez has had a whirlwind 12 months from Tenerife to the Toon... but the best is yet to come

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Twelve months ago, Ayoze Perez was playing Spanish second-tier football in front of just 10,000 short-sleeved supporters on the holiday island of Tenerife.

Life was good; he was turning out for his hometown club and his friends and family were in the stands to enjoy his breakthrough season.

Twelve months on and the 21-year-old is a Premier League regular playing in front of 52,000 at St James’ Park, some 2,500 miles from his Canary Island nest.

Ayoze Perez (left) has already received heavy praise from his manager at Newcastle, Alan Pardew

The Newcastle team celebrate with Perez after he scored the winning goal against Liverpool at St James'

Life, however, is even better; he is scoring goals as part of a winning team – his audacious back-heel at West Brom ‘the best I have ever scored’ – and earning plaudits aplenty, from his Newcastle manager Alan Pardew to club legend Alan Shearer.

But the surrounds are very different. Gone are the balmy winters which would welcome late-night tapas and trips to the beach. Instead, Friday night sees Perez and his brother, Samuel, don their coats and head to Kingston Park to watch Newcastle Falcons rugby team, even picking up fish and chips on their way home.

One thing which the drop in temperature has not dulled, however, is Perez’s goalscoring instinct. Sixteen for Tenerife last term has been followed by three from as many starts for the Magpies.

It’s little wonder that his fish-and-chip paper has been carrying his name in recent weeks.

‘I’ve settled in much quicker than I ever imagined I would,’ says Perez, who headed the decisive goal at Spurs, nicked the winner against Liverpool and added his goal-of-the-season contender at The Hawthorns.

Perez spreads his arms wide in celebration after scoring at The Hawthorns against West Brom 

The Spain U21 international (second left) has a shot blocked by Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Rob Green

‘Being in Newcastle is a very different way of life to Tenerife. For a start the climate is very different.

‘The city itself is beautiful and I really love being here and I’m trying different traditions. I have been to the rugby and have even tried fish and chips. Yes, I do feel the cold and I have been told by a lot of people that this is nothing and there is much more to come.

‘But I have lots of coats and jumpers ready and I am happy to adapt. It won’t be a problem.’

Nothing, it seems, is a problem for the Spain Under-21 striker at present, on or off the pitch.

Pardew says Perez is ‘a nice, bright boy and low maintenance to manage’ while labelling him ‘a fearless predator’ on the field.

In the wake of his £1.6million arrival in June, however, Pardew suggested this would be a season of adaptation for the rookie, who spoke very little English.

As it is, with Papiss Cisse struggling for fitness and others out of form, Perez is leading the line in a side which has won six on the spin.

Perez takes the applause of the Newcastle faithful as he leaves the pitch at St James' Park

Perez takes on QPR defender Richard Dunne during Newcastle's Premier League match on November 22

‘I am a bit surprised at how quickly I have adapted (on the pitch) and how well things are going, but I have never questioned whether I would be a success because being confident is a really important part of being a footballer,’ adds Perez, who enjoyed his best game yet during Saturday’s 1-0 win over QPR which lifted Newcastle to fifth.

‘I know my own ability and what I can achieve. I know I am smaller than a lot of players and that I have to improve physically, but I enjoy going to the gym and training on my own because I can see the benefits of it further down the line.

‘I am aware I still have a lot to improve on, but the most important thing is that Newcastle are at the right end of the table and if I can play my part in that I will be very satisfied.’

This, then, is still very much the start of Perez’s story, although he admits the narrative is gathering pace.

Indeed, two months ago he was playing for United’s under-21s against Carlisle.

‘Things have changed quite a lot for me in just a few weeks,’ he reflects.

‘The Tottenham game was a great opportunity for me. Making the team was a great honour and I knew I had to grab that chance with both hands.

‘To score was a dream come true - and I don’t score with too many headers.

‘In the past, I have only scored one or two so if you had told me my first Premier League goal would be a header, I would not have believed it.

‘Then to score the winner against Liverpool was amazing. This is a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life. I will always remember that game and what the goal meant, the celebrations with the fans and the noise inside the stadium.

‘Whatever happens for the rest of my career and in my life, that will live with me forever.’

With Perez, you get the impression the best is yet to come.