Newcastle United newbie Yankuba Minteh is already making quite the impression at Feyenoord after leaving the Premier League for a loan spell at the Eredivisie champions.
A season under Arne Slot – the coach who turned Orkun Kokcu, Santiago Gimenez, David Hancko and co into some of the most consistent and coveted players in the Netherlands – should ensure that 19-year-old Yankuba Minteh returns to St James’ Park in 2024 a far more mature, confident footballer.
Newcastle United paid £6 million to sign the twinkle-toed teenager from Danish outfit Odense before immediately loaning him to Feyenoord.
Minteh is making quite the impact too. He scored a penalty on his Feyenoord debut against PEC Zwolle in pre-season, with De Kuip legend Ahmed El Ahmadi convinced that his former employers have pulled off another inspired addition.
Newcastle United’s Yankuba Minteh impressing at Feyenoord
“He should not take free kicks anymore! But he is a good player,” El Ahmadi tells ESPN, aiming a good-natured jibe at the winger following one wasted set-piece too many in pre-season.
“I thought he was just very fast. But he is also very good on the ball. He makes an eager impression on me, and carries a lot of threat.”
Minteh produced eight goals and assists in his final 17 Danish Superliga games for Odense. The Gambian has even been nicknamed ‘Messi’ by some due to his penchant for cutting inside from the right wing onto his lethal left boot.
“(Minteh’s development) is fantastic,” Tonny Hermansen, the head of Odense’s academy, told Tipsbladet. “That’s the crazy thing about football. We’re talking about an 18-year-old who comes up and becomes a crowd favourite.
“He has some extraordinary qualities such as his speed. He catches the eye because something happens when he has the ball. At the same time, he has got something defensive in his game without taking the offensiveness away from him.
“Therefore, he is a player with huge potential.”
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