Newcastle United youngster Leo Shahar must be prepared to ‘embrace the challenge’ he is facing during a season-long loan spell with Portuguese side FC Arouca. That was the verdict of former Magpies academy star Lucas de Bolle after he returned to the North East following an 18-month spell with second tier side Portimonense.
Shahar’s rise at Newcastle
Shahar was a regular feature in United’s first-team squads during the second half of last season after the Magpies shunned interest from clubs looking to take the full-back on loan during the January transfer window. After making his senior debut as a late substitute in a Champions League play-off tie against Qarabag, Shahar remained as an unused substitute during the first three games of the current campaign after featuring heavily under new head coach Matthias Jaissle in pre-season.
However, the next step in his development will come in Portugal and although he is yet to feature for Arouca, Shahar will hope to make his debut when his temporary employers host Primeira Liga rivals Estrela da Amadora tonight.
De Bolle’s advice on Portuguese football
De Bolle believes the former Wolves academy full-back can make the most of ‘a great showcase’ in Portugal - but warned Shahar he must be prepared for the physical side of the game before his ‘technical ability can shine through’.
He told Chronicle Live: “He has to embrace the challenge over there. I wasn’t in their Primeira Liga but it’s all about duels and most teams would rather have a player that is good in duels than good on the ball - and that was a bit of a surprise to me. You need to make sure you have that within you and if you do have that, your technical quality can shine through. You get to showcase what you’re about.”
“One key reason I went over there is because it’s a great showcase. At Portimonense, our striker went for a couple of million, you have Camilo Duran, who is at Celtic, he was at the club, so it’s a great showcase.”
Balancing act of a loan spell
Unlike De Bolle, who made a permanent switch to Portugal after leaving National League North club South Shields, Shahar is expected to return to Tyneside when his loan deal comes to a close at the end of the season. That places a different angle on his time abroad according to De Bolle, who stressed the full-back will face a balancing act of impressing both Newcastle and Arouca over the coming months.
He said: “It’s slightly different for him because it’s a loan and everyone’s experience is different. You are playing for the club, you want to win games for the club - but you also have a view of coming back and you’ll be speaking to coaches at that club and people in Newcastle that will want development so it’s a balancing act to be honest.”
