'Definitely' - Matthias Jaissle can no longer ignore Sean Steur Newcastle United selection scrutiny
Matthias Jaissle has delivered a fresh verdict on Sean Steur after the teenager was left out of the Newcastle United starting line-up once again.
Sean Steur was benched for the fifth successive match as Newcastle United were beaten 1-0 by Everton at St James’ Park on Monday night.
The 18-year-old midfielder has had his game-time limited since starting the 2-1 win over Hull City back in September with a performance head coach Matthias Jaissle hailed as ‘exceptional’.
The Newcastle boss referenced Nico Gonzalez’s return to the side as the reason for Steur’s omission as the Dutch midfielder didn’t get on the pitch in the defeats against Coventry City or Aston Villa before being a late substitute in the win at Crystal Palace. There were sarcastic cheers from the away supporters when Steur was introduced off the bench in the closing stages of the Carabao Cup defeat at Everton with Newcastle trailing 3-0.
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The teenager then came off the bench once again against Everton on Monday night but was given more time to impress. The Magpies enjoyed their best spell of the match shortly after Steur’s introduction but were unable to find a way back into the game.
The former Ajax midfielder, who joined Newcastle in a deal worth up to £23million over the summer, has started just three games in all competitions since his arrival. The opening-day draw with Liverpool, the win over West Bromwich Albion in the Carabao Cup and the win over Hull.
Newcastle’s struggles on the pitch and Steur’s limited involvement in recent matches have seen supporters call for Jaissle to recall the midfielder to his starting line-up.
And when asked about Steur’s impact off the bench against Everton, the Newcastle boss responded: “He's always in my thinking, always in my thoughts. Not only is he doing a good job, definitely, we see that also.”
Discussing potential changes to his side ahead of Saturday’s trip to Fulham, Jaissle added: “Obviously you need to find a balance as a coach, especially when there is a bit of a lack of confidence as well, if you change just after one bad performance, where should they get the belief then?
“So it's always this balance you need to manage, but of course if other players are knocking on the door due to the training performance as well, then it's getting easier to make changes.”