Newcastle United youth winger Trevan Sanusi is destined for an extended stint on the sidelines.
The 17-year-old made his competitive debut for Newcastle in the 3-1 FA Cup third round win over Bromley in January, playing the full 20 minutes after coming on as a substitute in place of Will Osula.
An injury for Anthony Gordon would have likely handed Sanusi a spot on the bench for the visit to his former club Birmingham City in the next round. But like Gordon, the winger was also carrying a problem, which saw 17-year-old Sean Neave called up instead.
Sanusi hasn’t played in five weeks and won’t return until late April or early May. Sanusi posted on Instagram on Friday, “Unfortunate to be out for another eight weeks after being out for five”.
And that could bring a stop to the teenager’s rather breakout season. Currently, the under-21s play their final game in mid-April, while the under-18s’ season ends on May 3.
Newcastle’s Premier League season doesn’t end until May 25, but Howe’s side is believed to be pursuing a European position, making a call-up for Sanusi or other young players improbable.
A ‘breakthrough’ season for Trevan Sanusi
Sanusi featured for the first-team in pre-season, featuring in the club’s trip to Tokyo before playing in Sela Cup matches against Girona and Stade Brest.
After making his competitive debut against Bromley, Howe told NewcastleWorld: “Tre (Sanusi) hasn’t been consistently training with us, He’s been mainly with the under-23s but I’ve been watching those games and getting regular feedback there.
“I think he had a good pre-season, went back (to the youth setup) and has come strong again in recent weeks. Today will be a big moment for him. I’d love to see him get more opportunities but that will have to depend on how others are playing.
“He has remarkable qualities. He’s confident; you saw it today when he came on. He will always confront them one on one and try to beat them. Of course, he needs to include the physicality that he will require to survive. People will target him.
“He has a nice style of riding tackles and excellent balance. Like most young players, there’s plenty to improve. His finished product needs to be better. We will continue to work with him on that.”
Drawing comparisons to a fans favourite
Sanusi reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City before moving to Tyneside from Birmingham City in 2023.
“I saw a big project with young players coming through into the first team,” Sanusi told NewcastleWorld. “Lewy Miley making his debut, coming in and starting games and being effective in the team. I’m just hoping to do the same thing and obviously make my debut one day.”
And, given his flair and ability to, as Howe put it, “pull out a lot of tricks in his bank,” Sanusi was not surprised to hear comparisons to past fan favorite Allan Saint-Maximin.
“I’ve seen that [comparison],” Sanusi explained. “Saint-Maximin is a great player who I obviously watched before joining the club. I saw him just before he left, and I see some parallels between us: we’re both skilled, but I’m just trying to be myself and get more goals and assists.
“I’m just trying my best. It’s nice to see the crowd get a little bit hyped when I do a bit of skill but I’m just doing my thing. I’m not really bothered about the fans but obviously if I’m doing good the people will back it up.”
