Newcastle United have some very talented youngsters right now, some of which could allow Dan Ashworth to continue having an impact on Tyneside after his departure.
He is waiting to receive the green light to join Manchester United, having been placed on gardening leave by the Magpies. Toon officials are getting closer to appointing his successor, and that could speed up Dan Ashworth‘s official exit.
His time at St James’ Park will be looked back upon with disappointment, given the hype that surrounded his arrival.
But while he did not achieve what he was brought in to do, he did help the club with regards to youth recruitment.
Ashworth set out to boost the club’s youth ranks, signing players who could blossom into first-team stars and inevitably save Newcastle United a lot of money.
Newcastle have signed some exciting teenagers
It looks like Yankuba Minteh will do just that, as he continues to enjoy an incredible season on loan at Feyenoord.
But while Minteh is thriving, it is a different story for Garang Kuol.
It looked like a landmark deal when Ashworth brought the young Aussie to Tyneside, but the hype has somewhat subsided amid two disappointing loan spells.
He now looks set for a third temporary move away from Newcastle, with Kuol’s development taking longer than anticipated – largely down to situations that were outside of his control.
What Volendam chief thought of Garang Kuol when he arrived
That has been the case at Volendam, with changes behind the scenes resulting in the 19-year-old struggling for minutes in the Netherlands. Kuol has not played for the Eredivisie club since February, with his last start coming in November 2023.
But he did enjoy a bright start to life at Volendam, and one of their former members of staff has heaped praise on Kuol for the impression he immediately made when he arrived last summer.
Wim Jonk, who was Volendam’s technical manager until December, has spoke to the Athletic and detailed what he thought of Kuol shortly after the teenager joined the Dutch club from Newcastle.
“He came in as a young lad, and he was just doing the things that he’d normally do,” he said.
“That opened my eyes that he was a good player — he had skill, he was so fast, he was just doing things out of intuition. He is a clever guy for his age. But we needed to help him develop because physically he was behind.”
Newcastle United teenager still has the potential
Jonk’s comments on Kuol are certainly encouraging. They suggest that he still has the raw tools to eventually be a success at St James’ Park, while it is good to read about how clever he is, despite still being so young.
Obviously Kuol is still a work in progress, but there is no reason to believe that he is no longer worthy of the initial hype that appeared to engulf him. Circumstances beyond his control have gone against him, and that has massively hindered his development.
It is why it is so important that Newcastle make the right decision with Kuol this summer. He needs to go somewhere where he will play regularly, and work with a coaching team that will prepare him for life at Newcastle United, like Feyenoord have done with Minteh.
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