'Not ready' - manager delivers brutally honest verdict on Newcastle United winger as summer move looms
Newcastle United transfers: Trevan Sanusi’s loan move to Ligue 1 side Lorient has been a difficult one for the teenager.
Newcastle United winger Trevan Sanusi is set to end his season-long loan spell at Lorient without making a Ligue 1 appearance.
The 19-year-old joined Lorient last summer while injured and was forced to return to Tyneside to work on his recovery.
Having found his fitness, Sanusi returned to France to train with Lorient, and finally made his first-team debut in December.
The winger came off the bench to grab a goal and an assist in a 7-0 Coupe de France win over AS Gosier. He then made his first and what would prove to be only start for Lorient’s first team in the 3-1 win over Hauts Lyonnais in the following round in January.
Sanusi was then named on the bench on a few occasions in Ligue 1 fixtures but never got on the pitch before suffering another injury setback.
The Newcastle youngster featured three times for Lorient’s B-team but he has not been in a first-team matchday squad since March.
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Lorient manager delivers damning verdict ‘not ready’
And based on Lorient manager, Olivier Pantaloni’s recent comments, Sanusi is set to end his loan spell without making any further appearances.
Pantaloni claimed Sanusi ‘was not ready’ to play in Ligue 1 and it will be ‘difficult’ for him to feature before the end of the season.
“He arrived injured and it dragged on,” he said. “Then, we must not forget that he's a young player, arriving from a foreign country, who doesn't speak the language.
“He found himself in a group that has been working together for a long time, with playing principles and training methods that are perhaps different from those at Newcastle. It was difficult for him.
"I think it's going to be difficult [for him to play again this season]. He's a kid who must have suffered from the situation.
“He's always persevered. If Newcastle took a chance on him, it's because they saw potential in him for the future. When you come from there, you want to play as much as possible. We didn't give him the opportunity because we felt he was not quite ready for Ligue 1."
A frustrating loan for Trevan Sanusi
What was shaping up to be an exciting season-long loan at a top-flight European club ultimately ended in two early-round cup appearances and three B-team appearances.
It’s been a tough experience that Sanusi will no doubt learn from as he returns to Newcastle before a decision is made on the next steps for his career over the summer. A further loan spell could follow, but Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has given the winger opportunities to impress during pre-season in the past and even handed Sanusi his competitive first-team debut in the 3-1 FA Cup win over Bromley at St James’ Park in January 2025.
Now at 19, Sanusi is entering an important stage of his development and has already got that difficult first loan spell out of the way as he looks to impress over the summer and heading into the 2026/27 campaign.