Sean Steur repaid the faith shown in him by Newcastle United fans with a confident performance in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Fulham, his first start for the club in just under two months.
Manager Matthias Jaissle handed the 18-year-old his place back in the starting XI after five successive matches on the bench, with Joelinton injured and Jacob Ramsey suspended.
A long-awaited return
Steur, who has been widely regarded as the best of Newcastle's eight summer signings, had not started since the 2-1 win over Hull City on September 19. His return came after fans had clamoured for his inclusion, with a huge cheer accompanying his arrival as a substitute during last Monday's defeat to Everton.
Jaissle had previously said he did not see Steur playing alongside Nico Gonzalez, the £50million summer signing, preferring to use one or the other due to their similar profiles. He rowed back on that assertion on Saturday, and the pair complemented each other well in midfield. It was Gonzalez, rather than Steur, who was replaced by Lewis Miley early in the second half.
Impressive numbers and a viral moment
Steur showed composure before being substituted in the 74th minute, leading the outfield team in passing volume in the middle third with 35 accurate passes at a 94.6% completion rate and recovering the ball six times, according to Opta.
His defensive work was also notable, with a clip of his crunching slide tackle on Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson viewed just over 100,000 times on X. Fans flooded the replies with comments such as 'Build the team around him' and 'start him every week'.
What comes next
While Jaissle continues to plead for calm and patience regarding the narrative surrounding Steur, the teenager should remain in the starting XI against Arsenal, where he would test himself against Declan Rice and former Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes.
In the meantime, Steur will join up with the Netherlands under-21s squad for a two-legged play-off tie against Denmark as they look to book their place in next summer's European Championships. Newcastle will watch on with interest as he builds on a productive start to life on Tyneside.
