‘Needs to get better’ - Eddie Howe lays down challenge to Allan Saint-Maximin 2.0
Eddie Howe raved about Trevan Sanusi after handing the youngster his Newcastle United debut - but admitted his “end product” needs to improve.
The 17-year-old made his Toon debut yesterday in the 3-1 FA Cup win over Bromley. Introduced on 69 minutes, Newcastle fans were excited to see a tricky winger who has been starring in the under-23 ranks this season.
Sanusi arrived from Birmingham City in 2023 as an exciting prospect as former sporting director Dan Ashworth aimed to rebuild the club’s youth setup. Talent like Garang Kuol, Cathal Heffernan, Yankuba Minteh and Alex Murphy also joined that summer.
His style of play has drawn comparison to former Newcastle favourite Allan Saint-Maximin. Speaking after the Bromley win, Howe claimed he would “love” to give the prodigy more opportunities.
“Tre (Sanusi) hasn’t been consistently training with us,” Howe told NewcastleWorld. “He’s been mainly with the under-23s but I’ve been watching those games and getting regular feedback there.
“I think he had a good pre-season, went back (to the youth setup) and has come strong again in recent weeks. Today will be a big moment for him. I’d love to see him get more opportunities but that will have to depend on how others are playing.”
Howe also set Sanusi the challenge to improve his end product. While the academy star enjoyed an eye-catching debut, Bromley were, at times, able to outmuscle him off the ball.
“He’s got standout qualities,” he added. “He’s confident, you saw that today when he came on. He will always front people up one vs one and try to beat them. Of course, he needs to add that physicality that he’ll need to survive. People will target him.
“He has a nice way of riding tackles and really good balance. Like most young players, there’s stuff to improve. His end product needs to get better. We will continue to work with him on that.”