Sean Steur Surprises Matthias Jaissle

Newcastle paid around £23m to bring 18-year-old Sean Steur from Ajax during the summer, but few could have expected him to make such an immediate impression.

And it seems us supporters aren't the only ones who have been impressed.

During his Q&A with Newcastle fans this week, Matthias Jaissle was asked which player had surprised him most since taking charge.

Jaissle generally avoided singling out individuals – but made an exception for Steur,

praising the teenager's maturity and confidence on the pitch and describing him as an example of Newcastle's “brave way”.

That's quite an endorsement for a player who only turned 18 in January.

From Ajax Prospect to Newcastle First-Team Player

Steur arrived with an excellent reputation.

He joined Ajax's famous academy as a youngster and made 26 senior appearances before moving to Newcastle.

Last season he became Ajax's youngest player to provide an assist in the Champions League and also won the Abdelhak Nouri Trophy, awarded to the club's outstanding academy talent.

Previous winners include Christian Eriksen, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Ryan Gravenberch. Young Steur is in a premium bracket with those names.

Ajax confirmed Newcastle's transfer fee could eventually reach around €27m, while Steur signed a five-year contract at St James' Park.

The youngster describes himself as a midfielder who wants to get on the ball, play forward and operate between the lines – and that is exactly what he has done from the first time he took to the pitch in a black and white shirt.

Now He's Making His Mark for the Netherlands

His progress at SJP hasn't gone unnoticed back home either.

Steur received his first Netherlands U21 call-up during this international break and made his debut as a substitute against Norway.

Yesterday brought another significant step.

Steur was handed his first U21 start against Slovenia, played the full 90 minutes and helped the Netherlands come from behind to win 4-2.

His shot also helped create the Dutch equaliser, with Ayoub Oufkir converting after the goalkeeper could only parry Steur's effort.

Stuer who was playing academy football not so long ago is now getting Premier League minutes, has Champions League experience behind him, and is playing alongside footballers several years older at international level.

That's some going for an 18 year old.

Perhaps the most promising factor is that his performances and consistency have already put him in contention for a regular starting place instead of the cup and sub appearances that most fans expected.

Jaissle clearly trusts him and so do his teammates - and especially our defenders - who are already realising that they can give him the ball even in tight situations.

When vastly more experienced players have that trust in Stuer to retain possession and move the ball forward, that is a real mark of his ability and status within the squad.

I've mentioned before on the blog that Sean Steur is the best young player, along with Paul Gascoigne, that I have seen in my c60 years of supporting the Toon.

I'm not saying he will reach Gazza's heights, and he is not the same type of player.

Gascoigne was a bundle of explosive energy and brilliant skills but without the control of a harness, and that eventually led to his knee injuries and sadly problems in his personal life.

Steur exudes technical ability, a calmness and maturity already way beyond his years, and has the potential IMO to be a dominant and controlling midfield force at the highest level.

Two different players, but with similar massive potential at 18 years of age.

With Gonzalez and Jo returning from injury, Willock in fine form, and Miley, Ramsey and Bamba all eager for starts, it will be interesting to see whether Steur gets the nod when Newcastle return to Premier League action at Coventry on 12 October.

The question is becoming less about whether Sean Steur is good enough for Newcastle's first team now...

And more about how quickly he can establish himself as a regular starter.

Could what seemed like a £23m gamble on an 18-year-old turn out to be one of the bargains of the summer?

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