‘He’s unbelievable’ - Sven Botman blown away by Newcastle United summer signing
Newcastle United have unearthed a genuine gem in Dutch wonderkid Sean Steur.
Sven Botman has been left stunned by Newcastle United recruit Sean Steur since his summer arrival.
Signed for £20million, the midfielder was expected to be nurtured into the first-team setup. However, Steur - a product of the famous Ajax academy - proved to be one of the most eye-catching stars in pre-season.
Matthias Jaissle handed the 18-year-old a major seal of approval with a start on the opening day against Liverpool. Still viewed as one for the future, Steur is also seen as someone who can deliver in the present.
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‘He’s unbelievable’ - Sven Botman
Speaking to the club’s matchday programme, Botman - also an Ajax graduate - highlighted Steur’s “unbelievable” talent. He said: “He came from the Ajax academy as well, so we definitely speak about Ajax a lot as it’s a club we both grew up in. We both had some good times there.
“He’s younger than me but it’s the same pathway. He’s a good player, especially for his age. He's unbelievable. Sometimes I tell him, when I was 18 I was just playing in the second team for Ajax!
“Everybody has their own time and it’s going really quickly for him. He’s doing really well, really good. I didn’t know him before he signed. He’s a good player.”
Sven Botman stepping up
At 26, Botman is now one of the senior figures in the dressing room and has opened up about playing a leadership role. He added: “I’m still quite young I think! But in this group, I’m definitely one of the more experienced ones.
“It’s just a natural way of me trying to help other teammates and the new players, getting the standards high. I know I can see everyone else doing the same thing, it’s not just one person doing this particular job.
“We have more leaders in the group, everyone is really vocal and it’s good. We don’t have a quiet group here and everyone helps each other. We’re all on the same page.”
Every season is a massive season. Life in football goes so quickly, so the main goal for ourselves is to get the best out of ourselves as a team.
Everybody knows that when we play as a team, we and connect with the fans, we can be a really good team. I don’t want to put too much pressure on where we finish, but everybody in this building knows how good we can be.”
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