£33m Premier League forward left out of team after Newcastle United transfer decision

Eyebrows were raised when, after scoring and assisting in Brighton & Hove Albion’s 3-1 win at Manchester United six days earlier, the Gambian was dropped to the bench for the visit to Everton.

Minteh’s place on the right wing was taken by Brajan Gruda, who had missed the previous two matches through injury. The plot then thickened when, trailing 1-0, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler turned to Georginio Rutter - not Minteh - and played the Frenchman out of his preferred No.10 position.

Eventually, Minteh did come in the 74th minute but he was unable to get his side back into the game.

Why was Yankuba Minteh was dropped?

Hurzeler protected Minteh after the game when asked why he dropped Minteh. “Because we faced a low block and we tried to find more solutions in narrow spaces and that’s why we brought (in) Gruda,” he told the media.

However, The Athletic soon revealed the real reason. The 20-year-old was actually left out after failing to report on time for the pre-match preparations.

According to the same publication, this was not the first time Minteh has struggled with timekeeping. As a result, Hurzeler wanted to send out a message to the player and his squad.

What did Eddie Howe say on the sale of Yankuba Minteh?

Although Minteh never kicked a ball in black and white, Newcastle are watching his progress with interest.

Signed for £7million from Danish side Odense Boldklub in 2023, United immediately sent Minteh on loan to then-Dutch champions Feyenoord. And what a successful year it proved to be with 11 goals and six assists in 37 appearances across the Eredivisie, Champions League and other domestic cup competitions.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe had planned to integrate Minteh into his squad during pre-season, but he never got the opportunity.

The late scramble to comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) forced the Magpies to sell Minteh for £33m, while academy graduate Elliot Anderson joined Nottingham Forest for £35m.

“In my opinion, it was absolutely the right thing to do, but it still hurts to have done it,” Howe said last year. “We had no other option, and no matter what the narrative is in the future, regardless of how Elliot or Yankuba do, it was still the right thing in my opinion, for the benefit of Newcastle.

“We couldn’t breach PSR, couldn’t face a points deduction, and the only two deals we had on the table at that time were the two deals that we did.

“We didn’t want to sell Yankuba at all. We believed in his potential, and everything about his profile fitted what we needed. But we had to make a decision based on finances.

“The plan would have been for him to be involved. If he was ours, we would have utilised his skillset and the attributes he has.”