Matthias Jaissle should listen to Newcastle United supporters and unleash Sean Steur against Everton tonight.

Bravery, as much as “vertical football” and “principles” - has become a buzzword on Tyneside in recent months. Newcastle United insist courage was the driving factor behind a youthful summer rebuild.

In truth, financial restrictions, leading to the Magpies failing to keep their prized assets happy, caused the dominoes to fall. But that is a story for another day.

Matthias Jaissle has highlighted the new, brave approach when defending defeats this season. However, the German turned up the heat on his players following the Carabao Cup loss to Everton - insisting age can no longer be an excuse.

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And on Thursday, he would be right. The average age of the starting line-up that crashed out on Merseyside was 26.7. Lewis Hall was the young stud at 22, with veterans like Dan Burn (34), Fabian Schar (34) and Jacob Murphy (31) all selected.

Jaissle’s problem is ability - not experience. This is a distinctly average Newcastle team. A worker is only as good as his tools and the German deserves sympathy in that regard.

However, one criticism that can be levelled at the manager is Sean Steur’s glaring omission. With the Magpies bereft of quality, arguably the most technically gifted - and ironically youngest - first-team stars is struggling for game time.

Just five minutes in three Premier League games since his man-of-the-match performance against Hull City have had fans scratching their heads. Last month, Jaissle stoked the flames by suggesting he would not start Steur and Nico Gonzalez together.

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But against an Everton side who will be dogged, determined and organised at St James’ Park tonight, Newcastle need finesse. Steur is a player - irrespective of his tender years - who can dictate games like these.

He made an instant impression on the North East press pack. Albeit against Gateshead, the young Dutchman drew comparisons to the outgoing Bruno Guimaraes.

The 18-year-old told The Gazette post-match that he models his playing style on Premier League great Kevin De Bruyne. Jaissle must listen to the noise and unleash Newcastle’s latest star boy tonight.

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