The winger – formerly of AEK Athens – has been brought in as an injury replacement for Ronald Vargas, who is currently sidelined after dislocating and fracturing his ankle earlier this season.

Rodriguez graduated from the youth system at Independiente, going onto make 96 appearances for the first team before joining Brazilian Serie A outfit, Santos.

At AEK Athens, Rodriguez was a teammate of the man he will be replacing at the Jets in Ronald Vargas.

Jets boss Ernie Merrick said his injured midfielder played a significant part in securing the club’s latest signing.

“Ronny was speaking with Patricio regularly, talking about what a great town Newcastle is and how much he’s been enjoying his time here,” Merrick said.

“They’ve played together quite a bit, so I think that will be a massive advantage for us when we have them both on the park together later this season.

“Patricio is a very good one-on-one dribbling type player that knocks in great crosses, he’s technically very strong and has great speed.

“I’m keen to get him into more goal scoring opportunities, he’s a wonderful striker of the ball and will add a great deal to our front third.

“He’s got all the characteristics of an Argentinian player, he’s strong, resilient and knows how to win a game – he’s a wonderful addition to our squad.”

Rodriguez is contracted until the end of the 2017/18 season and Merrick expects to make a permanent spot available for him in his squad during January.

“We’ll be tinkering with the make-up of our squad during the transfer window,” Merrick said.

“Players come and go during January, and we’ll be working to ensure we can see Patricio, Ronny (Vargas) and Roy (O’Donovan) on the pitch together later this season – it’s an exciting prospect.

“Seeing the club in this position is testimony to Martin Lee and his willingness to invest in the Jets as well as the hard work of Lawrie McKinna and Joel Griffiths in getting this deal over the line.”

Rodriguez is expected to land in Australia between Christmas and New Year before commencing training with teammates in the lead up to January.