Rodrigo struck twice in Leeds’ 4-3 loss against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday as he continued his run of fine form.
Outside of Erling Haaland, Rodrigo has the best minutes to goal ratio in the league, coming in at one goal for every 99 minutes he is on the pitch.
Newsome feels that Rodrigo is thriving as a striker, even though it may have taken him some time to really adapt to English football.
The former Leeds defender remains keen however for the club to sign another striker in January as he is not sure they can rely on Patrick Bamford if Rodrigo is injured.
“I think Rodrigo is a better 9 than a 10”, Newsome said on BBC Radio Leeds.
“But can you rely on Patrick? If in six weeks we come back and Rodrigo picks up a knock, which way do we go?
“He’s on fire and so is [Crysencio] Summerville. He really is on fire, he’s turned the tap on.
“He came with a big price tag, so is this what we were expecting when he signed? Maybe it took him a while to settle in and find his confidence.
“It’s great to see but I do feel we are short in that department.”
Rodrigo has not been selected in Spain’s World Cup squad and will remain with Leeds over the course of the international break.
