'We need to' - Matthias Jaissle has just dropped his biggest Sean Steur Newcastle United hint yet
Newcastle United team news: Matthias Jaissle has hinted at a potential return to the starting line-up for Sean Steur this weekend.
Matthias Jaissle has admitted he needs to find a way of getting Sean Steur on the pitch more often for Newcastle United after the teenager put in another encouraging cameo performance against Everton on Monday night.
The 18-year-old’s display in his last start for Newcastle against Hull City in September was hailed as ‘exceptional’ by Jaissle, who has refrained from starting him since.
Jaissle argued Nico Gonzalez’s return to the squad and his similar midfield profile have limited Steur’s minutes. The £75million summer signing duo are yet to start a game together and have only briefly been on the pitch together at the same time, as Steur came off the bench in the closing stages of the 2-0 win at Crystal Palace.
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As Newcastle prepare to return to London to face Fulham this weekend with the hope of bouncing back from successive league and cup defeats to Everton, they are without the suspended Jacob Ramsey and injured Joelinton as midfield options. Lewis Miley is also returning to fitness after three games out, giving Steur a prime opportunity to return to the starting line-up.
And Jaissle has hinted the young Dutchman could be getting more minutes in his side moving forward.
“With Sean I think we are all really clear and he also showed that now in the last match that he can contribute a lot of good things into our game even though the match was a bit different at the end of the match against Everton,” Jaissle told the Gazette.
“He has so much potential. They [Steur and Gonzalez] are similar players definitely, similar profiles so we need to find a way that he's able also to play more minutes, as his progress is going in the right direction.”
Jaissle was later asked about the large transfer spend on young players, including Steur, over the summer. Bazoumana Toure, Aladji Bamba and Ewen Jaouen were all brought in before Jaissle’s arrival for a combined fee of £91million, and none of them have started any of Newcastle’s opening nine Premier League matches.
“We spent quite a lot of money on the young talents and I mentioned that they need time to be ready for the Premier League,” he explained. “It's a different calibre playing here and I think everyone of you who is following the Premier League in the last years, you know how often and how long players need adaptation time and that's the case even more with such young talents.
“But we will give them the time, we will support them. Like we said just about Sean Steur, we can just provide them the tools to be ready as soon as possible and feeling comfortable when they get the chance.”
Matthias Jaissle looks ahead to Fulham
Newcastle have lost their previous two trips to Fulham and head to Craven Cottage with five defeats in their last seven matches in all competitions.
“The next game is always the most important,” Jaissle said. “So now also against Fulham, getting that confidence back, getting that braveness back to play our style, independent if it's at home or in Fulham, to have a good result, to have then again a good feeling till the next match when a lot of guys again are with the national team.
“ So I'm really, really looking forward now to see the right reaction against Fulham.”