One of the Premier League’s breakout stars in the 2023/24 season has been Newcastle United’s Lewis Miley. The 17-year-old has risen quickly through the ranks at St James' Park to become a prominent first-team player under Eddie Howe.
The midfielder has played 26 times for the Newcastle first team this season, scoring once and registering three assists, including one in the Champions League at home against AC Milan.
There is little doubt that Howe wants to give youngsters more opportunities. Aside from Miley, the likes of Elliot Anderson have had a role to play under the former Bournemouth boss, and he has discussed a pathway for other youngsters, including Joe White.
Aside from academy graduates, Newcastle have also invested in talent further afield. Australian Garang Kuol is currently on loan at FC Volendam in The Netherlands, and he signed for the Toon from Central Coast Mariners in January 2023.
However, another player is coming through, also currently on loan, this time at Feyenoord, who might be right for a breakthrough season in 2024/25.
An exciting prospect on the wing
The player in question is 19-year-old Yankuba Minteh, a winger whom Newcastle signed from Danish side Odense BK for a fee rumoured to be around £5.8m. The youngster is already a full international with The Gambia and competed in the 2024 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.
In terms of his profile, Minteh is a direct winger who loves to get on the ball and run at defenders with his sheer pace.
One of the most prominent features of Minteh’s game is when he drives into the opposition penalty box. He ranks in the top 1% of positionally similar players in leagues comparable to the Eredivisie for carries into the penalty area per 90 minutes this season, 6.49, according to Fbref.
Minteh also works very hard off the ball, as his Fbref numbers reflect. The 19-year-old ranks in the top 2% among attackers for tackles won, with 1.78 per 90 minutes.
To break this down even further, Minteh wins 0.80 tackles per 90 in the final third, showing he is a diligent presser, something which would stand him in good stead in Newcastle’s system.
In total, the left-footed winger has scored eight goals and registered three assists for Feyenoord this season. That includes a Champions League goal away to Celtic in the final group game. Impressive numbers indeed.
Minteh's first-team hopes at Newcastle
After impressing for Feyenoord this season, there is no doubt Minteh will be hoping to return to St James’ next season and stake a claim for a first-team spot.
Minteh’s impressive work out of possession, as well as his direct nature with the ball, would certainly be a benefit to him in Howe’s direct and intense Newcastle side.
With lots of first-team experience behind him, both in Denmark for Odense BK and this season for Feyenoord, plus international tournament football under his belt, there is no reason to believe why Minteh cannot break into Newcastle’s squad next season.
The 19-year-old will surely be hoping that he can follow the path set by the likes of Miley and become another exciting player for Newcastle under the tutelage of Howe.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.