Should Newcastle choose to call up Yankuba Minteh from Feyenoord, they will be faced with three significant issues.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe recently admitted the club could try to recall Yankuba Minteh
Recently, Newcastle United supporters were intrigued by Eddie Howe’s assessment of Yankuba Minteh’s performance in the Netherlands. This is because the Magpies’ manager acknowledged that the team might think about calling up the 19-year-old from his Feyenoord loan.
Howe was asked the issue since Newcastle is now dealing with a serious injury crisis, with up to 12 players out due to various illnesses or suspensions. Minteh is currently viewed as a potential assistance for his parent club after performing admirably in the Eredivisie thus far this season.
The first significant issue, though, is that Minteh is presently injured as well. The teenager suffered a hamstring injury in a league game on October 21 and hasn’t played for Feyenoord since.
He’s (Minteh) done very well, although unfortunately he’s injured at the moment,” Howe told reporters recently. “He’s come back for an assessment on that injury because we need to check and see how he is.
“We need to work out how serious the injury is and when he’ll be back, and then we’ll make a decision on him like we would with all our loan players.”
Even if Minteh returns to full fitness in the near future, there’s another stumbling block for Newcastle to deal with, in the form of the 2023 African Cup of Nations.
Minteh’s Gambia are one of the 24 teams taking part in the biennial event, hosted by the Ivory Coast between January 13 and February 11 2024. The youngster’s strike against Congo back in September helped his country book their place at the showpiece next year.
That means even if Minteh is recalled, he could miss a month of club action should Gambia go all the way to the final. Newcastle, as it stands, play Manchester City, Aston Villa, Luton Town and Nottingham Forest during the AFCON tournament.
Finally, and arguably most importantly, Feyenoord may not want to lose the young talent. Arne Slot’s side are currently seven points off table-topping PSV but stand a solid chance of reaching Europe through the league this season with an eight-point gap back to fifth-place.
Newcastle can choose to call up the player, but if Feyenoord agrees to give him back, the contract will be canceled. After the attacker’s strong start in the Netherlands, Slot seemed to be full of admiration for him when he spoke last month.
“He doesn’t lack confidence in himself,” the Feyenoord manager stated. “He is incredibly willing to give everything.” We can see how remarkable his statistics are.
“Minteh runs more sprint meters in an hour [during Feyenoord’s 4-0 victory over Ajax] than many other boys do in two games.” He wants it so hard and moves really quickly.”
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