Feyenoord manager shares what has really impressed him with Newcastle’s Yankuba Minteh this season

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Newcastle United youngster Yankuba Minteh has really been enjoying his loan spell over at Feyenoord this season.

The attacker has recently hit a good run of form for the Dutch club which has seen him pick up four goals and one assist in his last four league games, taking him to a tally of seven goals for the season.

Speaking to FR12, Feyenoord manager Arne Slot has admitted that Minteh is still a raw talent with lots to work on, but there’s one thing that he’s been really impressed with ahead of his return to Newcastle this summer.

Slot says Minteh’s pace is a ‘huge weapon’

While he’s not been overly impressed with his performances tactically, Minteh has proven to be a useful player on the ball when he’s driving past players who have no chance of catching him.

The head coach has also been encouraged by the developments the young man is making in his decision making in the final third which when he first joined the club were very disappointing.

It looks to have been very fruitful loan spell for Minteh who will return to Newcastle in the summer and give Eddie Howe a seriously difficult decision to make on his future.

While Slot has been pleases with the improvements that his loanee has made over the last few months, he knows that if he improves so much then there is little chance of him returning to the Eredivisie side on loan next year.

On Minteh, Slot said: “He has mostly played a lot in his native country, where very little tactics are involved. When you’re that fast, though, it’s a huge weapon. One action and he’s gone, then you don’t catch up with him either. I think his choices are already getting better in the final stages. The only annoying thing for us is that if his choices get really good, he probably won’t play with us anymore.”

Minteh could be starting for Newcastle next year

It’s very unlikely that Howe, knowing wat kind of a manager he is and how he likes to bed his player sin, will just throw Minteh into the starting lineup with very little preparation or experience.

However, with a whole pre-season ahead of him and with the club already wanting to find a new option at right-wing, there’s no reason why they can’t at least experiment with him down that side.

Miguel Almiron has been disappointing in the final third this season and could be off if the club receive a good enough offer, so if Minteh can take his chances he could work his way into the squad next year.

The Gambian international could potentially save Newcastle a lot of money if he proves to be a suitable option for the new campaign, helping them to reinvest into other areas.