“In terms of how many minutes he plays, well that is going to be determined by how he trains and how he plays when he gets those opportunities.”
That was Eddie Howe laying down the challenge to Trevan Sanusi last month as the 17-year-old went from strength to strength in a black and white shirt. Now, the tricky attacker is also proving he can do it on the international stage after firing a stunning goal for England’s under-18s over the weekend.
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Cutting inside from the left, the wide man picked his head up on the edge of the box and rifled the ball beyond a motionless Switzerland goalkeeper. Sanusi, joined by his club team-mate Leo Shahar on the pitch, wheeled away to celebrate what looked to be the winning goal for most of the encounter.
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England’s youngsters conceded in the dying seconds before drawing a penalty shootout 5-5 in the Lafarge Tournament. Sanusi played the entirety of the fixture, alongside Sunderland ace and former Newcastle target Chris Rigg.
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The teenage winger has been training with Newcastle’s senior side of late with Howe insisting the player did not leave on loan over the summer. The Magpies boss wants to take a closer look at Sanusi this season, while also helping him improve physically and tactically.
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The former Birmingham City star was poached from the Midlands during Dan Ashworth’s time at the club and is very much seen as a player who can save the club millions in the future. His elevation to regular first-team minutes will undoubtedly be slow but Sanusi has already shown he can cut it among senior players after his impressive two St James’ Park showings over the Sela Weekender.
“The biggest thing we have to do is to develop his talent and to keep improving his game – but also develop him psychically,” Howe said last month. “I think he’s got bits to learn, of course, for someone his age. Tactically he’s got things to improve.
“We’ve got to build him up physically to protect him and to make sure he’s robust enough to deal with the rigours of the Premier League. But he’s left a positive impression on us and I’m really pleased with him.”
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