Newcastle United manager Matthias Jaissle has expressed strong confidence in 18-year-old midfielder Sean Steur, praising the young Dutch player’s performances despite recent setbacks. Steur, who appeared in Newcastle’s recent 4-1 loss to Leeds United at Elland Road, issued a public apology after an intercepted pass he made led to a Leeds goal. However, Jaissle insists the apology was unnecessary and highlighted Steur’s maturity and resilience throughout the match.
Speaking after the game, Jaissle emphasized that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process for young players and stressed that Steur had already earned praise for his attitude and composure. “I remember there were already games where everyone was celebrating him for his attitude, for his maturity at 18 years,” Jaissle said. “This is exactly the thing where I tell him mistakes can happen, such as a pass which led then afterwards to a goal.”
The Newcastle head coach also noted that Steur’s response to the error, including his willingness to continue being involved and asking for the ball despite the difficult circumstances, demonstrated his strong character. Jaissle said, “Not a single doubt on him. He has pure quality at such a young age, how he responds. He still asks for the balls afterwards, so he’s not hiding and this is the right approach.”
With several senior midfielders, including Jacob Ramsey, Anthony Elanga, and Nico Gonzalez, set to miss Newcastle’s upcoming fixture against Hull City due to injury and other reasons, Jaissle is prepared to field a young side. He acknowledged questions raised by pundits regarding his reliance on young players but defended the club’s strategy. “We trust them and this is our approach,” he said. “It’s a brave journey the club is going on and I’m fully committed to that.”
Jaissle further stressed that setbacks, such as the recent defeat to Leeds, will not derail the club’s vision. “If there is one setback, we shouldn’t delete our journey or our vision. No, we are fully committed, we are fully aligned,” he stated. “We anticipated that something like that against Leeds happened, or is happening also in the next weeks and month. Then it’s just on us to respond. But still believing, we don’t change it.”
The manager’s comments underline Newcastle United’s focus on nurturing young talent while maintaining confidence in their long-term developmental approach amid the challenges of competing in the Premier League.