Newcastle United have seen so many players with huge potential go to waste under Mike Ashley, but perhaps none more so than Nile Ranger who believes he could have been just like Erling Haaland.
Nile Ranger spent five years at Newcastle after being brought in by director of football Dennis Wise and soon after included in the first team by Kevin Keegan who saw a star quality in the young man.
When speaking to The Athletic, the 32-year-old stated he wished he could have spent his time at Newcastle differently.
The then teenager had shown so much potential in Newcastle’s youth side and had the whole world at his feet when he was called up by Keegan. Ranger has since shown true regret for not taking that opportunity by the horns.
A case of what could have been for Ranger
Though the forward had issues off the pitch, Ranger had been promoted to the first team and playing alongside Fabricio Coloccini and Hatem Ben Ara at just 18-years-old.
In his first senior appearance in the starting line-up, the academy graduate earned a man-of-the-match award against Leicester City and was tipped to have a bright future.
Ranger’s form had even earned him a spot in England’s Under-19 side, but problems off the pitch would soon catch up to the striker.
Since leaving Newcastle by mutual consent in 2013, the London-born attacker had spent no longer than 18 months at any of the five clubs he joined. His most recent spell with Boreham Wood ended in 2022 and he has struggled to find a new team ever since, but Ranger is still hopeful that he can get his career back on track.
Ranger spoke to The Athletic on his time at Newcastle and what could have been and said: “I didn’t take in the advice. I should be minimum Championship right now. I shouldn’t be having problems but I didn’t listen.
“If I added nutrition to my game and behaviour, I’m Haaland. But I didn’t want to listen. I thought I knew it all.
“I know I’m very good at football, people can play to 38 or 39. I can still play. I want to get back then I can climb.
“I’ve got to go and show what I can do or I’m going to get to an age where I can’t move. It catches up with you.”
Ranger’s Newcastle career could have been just like Haaland
Nile Ranger struggled to excel in a team and club that was already very dysfunctional. It may have been that it was just the wrong environment at the wrong time.
Had the striker been a young talent in our current squad, for example, it would have given him a much bigger chance at success.
Of course Ranger would have had to have wanted to succeed, but countless times now we have seen Eddie Howe transform a player’s career.
It’s impossible to say how things could have turned out in different circumstances, but it will always be such a waste of an exciting talent for both club and country.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
