Newcastle will rely on £28m player to avoid Yankuba Minteh embarrassment on Saturday

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There will be a huge sense of ‘what if’ when Yankuba Minteh plays against Newcastle United on Saturday.

It will be the 20-year-old’s first ever appearance at St James’ Park, despite being a Newcastle United player for 12 months.

Yankuba Minteh never made an appearance for the Magpies, and was sold during the summer as Toon officials scrambled to comply with PSR. He joined Brighton for £33million, as Newcastle did everything they could to avoid a future points deduction.

Brighton could not believe their luck in signing Minteh, and the Gambia international has enjoyed a bright start to life on the south coast. In fact, Jamie Carragher has already said that Newcastle will regret selling Minteh, even if his departure was enforced.

That regret will only intensify if Minteh performs well on Saturday, as Brighton prepare to travel to Tyneside.

Yankuba Minteh could embarrass Newcastle on Saturday

It will be rather embarrassing for Newcastle United if Minteh plays well against them on Saturday.

It will be a fresh reminder of the Magpies’ transfer failures, which also resulted in Elliot Anderson leaving the club to sign for Nottingham Forest.

The Magpies lost two incredibly talented youngsters due to their PSR situation, while Minteh is a player who they could really do with right now. Newcastle’s priority in January is to sign a right winger, which is exactly what Minteh is.

He already looks like he could have been a starter for Newcastle this season, and he has the chance on Saturday to prove that even further inside the stadium he should have been calling home.

Lewis Hall will be up against Minteh

Given Minteh’s speed and dribbling ability, he is difficult to stop.

The Newcastle United player who will likely be tasked with stopping Minteh will be Lewis Hall. He has started Newcastle’s previous two Premier League games, and is enjoying a positive run in the team.

Hall played very well against Manchester City, as the Magpies drew 1-1 with the Premier League champions. Eddie Howe was absolutely delighted with Hall’s performance, as he held his own against Bernardo Silva and then Savinho.

The £28million man has really improved defensively, and is earning the trust of his manager. Now Hall will face a slightly different task, and it will be up to him to ensure Newcastle are not embarrassed by their former player.

It will be an interesting battle between Hall and Minteh. Hopefully it is the Newcastle United youngster who comes out on top. If not, there will be plenty of red faces inside the Toon boardroom.