The Eredivisie is known to be one of the best leagues in Europe for developing young footballers. For many years now, top clubs have sent their youth talents on loan to Dutch sides, giving them a perfect platform to develop. During the summer, Premier League giants Newcastle United sent two of their teenagers to Eredivisie clubs. Lets take a look at how they’ve been getting on:
Yankuba Minteh – Feyenoord
Immediately after joining the Magpies from Danish side Odense Boldklub, Gambian talent Yankuba Minteh was sent on loan to Feyenoord. To the delight of many Newcastle fans, the 19-year-old winger has experienced an incredible start to the season. So far, he’s featured in all eight of Feyenoord’s league games and in both of their Champions League matches. Yankuba Minteh has already scored three goals and provided one assist in the Eredivisie.
Arne Slot is clearly a massive fan of Minteh. The Gambia international has shown his flair in a Feyenoord shirt, using his rapid speed to round defenders and his excellent dribbling ability to wiggle his way to goal. Yankuba Minteh’s ability to play anywhere across the frontline has definitely been a bonus for Feyenoord.
Overall, it’s been a fantastic start to the season for Yankuba Minteh, despite only being eight league games into the season. Feyenoord fans certainly won’t want him to leave De Kuip at the end of the campaign.
Garang Kuol – FC Volendam
Another exciting prospect making a name for himself in the Eredivisie is Garang Kuol. The Australia international spent the second half of last season on loan with Scottish Premiership side Hearts, having joined Newcastle from the Central Coast Mariners in January. This summer, 19-year-old Kuol was loaned out to FC Volendam. The Eredivisie club has an incredibly young side, with an average squad age of just 21.9. Garang Kuol was one of three teenagers to join the club during the summer.
FC Volendam as a whole have experienced a relatively poor start to the season. They finished the 22/23 campaign in 14th place, and this season they’re currently second from bottom with one win in seven. Garang Kuol has two goal contributions to his name, scoring once and providing one assist. The right-winger has featured in all but one of Volendam’s league games. During last Friday’s victory over Utrecht, Kuol provided the crucial assist for Robert Mühren to score the only goal of the game. After scoring against Fortuna Sittard, Kuol became the youngest foreign player to ever find the net for Volendam.
There’s certainly more to come this season from Garang Kuol. The forward is rapid on the ball and his ability to pick out and execute some difficult passes makes him a handy player for Volendam to have. Both Kuol and Minteh are players that Newcastle fans should keep an eye on this season. The winger’s have bright futures ahead and look like they’ll continue their super starts.
