Newcastle United fans should be very excited about reports of Yankuba Minteh joining the club this summer.
That is the view of Danish football expert Toke Theilade, who has spoke to Geordie Boot Boys about the 18-year-old winger who is on the brink of a move to Tyneside.
Newcastle set to sign Minteh
It was reported last week that Minteh is close to joining Eddie Howe’s side, with Newcastle set to pay Odense BK around £6million to sign him.
The teenager will be loaned out shortly after his arrival, with the Magpies obviously viewing Minteh as one for the future.
He looks like a really exciting talent, having excelled in his first season in the Odense senior team. Minteh made 17 appearances in total, scoring four goals and providing six assists.
Minteh clearly has a lot of potential, and Theilade, who is a Danish football journalist and editor-in-chief at Vilfortpark.dk, believes he has what it takes to eventually thrive at St James’ Park.
Newcastle fans should be excited
When news of Minteh possibly joining Newcastle first surfaced, his international coach Abdoulie Bojang suggested that it might be too soon for the teenager to sign for a club like the Magpies.
However, Theilade believes that Minteh is ready for the next step of what could be a very promising career.
“After seeing how quickly he adapted to playing for OB’s first team, I don’t think it is too early,” he said.
“Scandinavian football is a great first step for African players to get tactical experience, maturity and learn how to be professionals.
“A season more with OB wouldn’t hurt, but I also don’t think he really needs it. He has shown that he is one of the best in his position in the league, and he seems ready for bigger challenges already.
“For me, it is always really exciting when players goes in and elevate their game as fast as Minteh did. That’s when you know you have a guy that could end up special. Several of his teammates have mentioned that as well.”
Signing for a Premier League club is always a challenge, but this Newcastle United is suddenly very different. Eddie Howe’s side are in the Champions League, and hope to remain their for the foreseeable future. Any youngster who joins will need to reach an elite level to have an impact at St James’ Park.
The question is does Minteh have the potential to become good enough to be on the journey that Newcastle are currently on?
“Playing for a top club in England requires an incredible high level, so that’s difficult to answer.
“With what he has shown so far, I believe he has the talent to make it to that level though. I would be excited about this signing if I was a Newcastle fan for sure. Obviously, there are no guarantees, but I’m definitely optimistic at the moment.”
Minteh’s strengths and weaknesses
Minteh is left-footed, but predominantly plays on the right wing. That will delight Howe, as he often likes his wingers to operate like this. We have seen it from Miguel Almiron this season, who managed to score 11 goals from the right of attack.
That is the level that Minteh will be looking to reach, and Theilade believes that he already has the makings of a top quality winger.
“He is great at taking on defenders one on one.
“His dribbling is at a really high level and he is extremely fast. He is good at finishing, but also has a good eye for his teammates. He’s by no means a selfish player.
“I’d highlight his ability to raise his level when needed. When OB signed him, they expected him to need some time with the U19s before becoming ready for the first team. They were ready to be patient and take it slow with him.
“But he only needed two games for the U19s before he earned his debut, and then after three minutes on the pitch he scored the winner against FC Copenhagen.
“He is simply able to step up and increase his level as the challenges gets bigger, which is crucial for young players. He also didn’t really need any time adjusting to European football after moving to Odense from Africa.”
For all his strengths, there are obviously still areas in which Minteh can improve – particularly his attitude behind the scenes.
“I’d say his main issue is immaturity at the moment.
“He’s still a young player, and he had a couple of problems in the spring. He was suspended for a game after being seen at a night club before a game, and he also ended up in a fight with a teammate at training. So there were some off the field problems with him.
“He quickly returned to the team though, and he is well-liked among his teammates so I don’t think it is something one should read too much into.
“He can definitely improve defensively, and he also needs to improve physically. He is fast, but needs to become stronger of course. He can also improve his passing.”
Minteh compared to former Premier League winger
Young players like Minteh are always compared to veterans of the game, and Theilade has admitted that there have been comparisons made to former Denmark international Dennis Rommedahl.
“I’ve seen him compared to Dennis Rommedahl, one of the most accoladed Danish wingers, because their pace is similar.
“I like that comparison, but I would say though that Minteh’s technical abilities have the potential to be at a much higher level. He is much better at dribbling, but they both posses the same directness in their playing style. They go straight for goal and aim at hurting the opponents at any chance.”
Rommedahl did play in the Premier League, spending three seasons with Charlton between 2004 and 2007. In that time he scored four league goals.
Newcastle will hope that Minteh can do better than that, and it should hopefully prove to be the case if he turns out to be as ‘special’ as anticipated.
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