Newcastle have a teenage talent on their hands ahead of Sunderland clash
Matheos Ferreira (Image: )
Newcastle United prospect Matheos Ferreira has been told where he must focus as the highly-rated winger prepares for Friday’s Premier League 2 derby with Sunderland.
The Magpies Under-21s have endured a challenging season in several different competitions and will head into the Wear-Tyne clash looking to rack up only their third win in 10 league games.
More pressingly, there is also a need to end a run of eight games without a win in any competition – although one of those did provide a minor positive after the United youngsters claimed a penalty shoot-out victory in a National League Cup tie at Halifax Town following a goalless draw over 90 minutes.
If there has been a positive over the last month, it has been the form of 17-year-old winger Ferreira, who has built on the momentum of his stunning hat-trick in an FA Youth Cup win against Portsmouth with a trio of promising performances at Under-21s level.
Despite his side falling to defeats in a Premier League International Cup double with Dinamo Zagreb and a Premier League 2 meeting with Middlesbrough, Ferreira has shown some flashes of his unquestionable promise. His performances have not gone unnoticed in a difficult spell.
Despite the Under-21s losing 5-0 at the hands of Benfica on Tuesday night, Ferreira earned praise from interim manager Robbie Stockdale as he set out his next challenge for the young winger.
He told Chronicle Live: “That’s a couple of games now where Matheos has done really well and we changed the shape a little bit because of the players we had available – but he was a threat.
“He’s really game, he leaves it all out on the pitch and he was good. It’s a couple of games on the bounce when he has been really good and the challenge for Matheos now is that end product.
“There will be easier games to get the end product in, I accept that, because the chances for us were pretty limited if I am honest – but he can come out of that with a fair amount of credit.”
Friday’s Wear-Tyne derby at the Academy of Light will provide the first league game of Stockdale’s interim spell in charge following the departure of former Under-21s head coach Adam Lawrence earlier this week.
The former Middlesbrough defender will be without Joe White and Harrison Ashby after the duo completed loan moves to League One promotion contenders Bradford City.
Sean Neave remains part of Eddie Howe’s first-team squad – but Seung-soo Park and Anthony Munda could come into contention after making substitute appearances in Tuesday’s defeat against Benfica.
Further changes could lie in wait over the coming weeks as several Magpies youngsters are attracting interest from elsewhere – but Stockdale has stressed that can only open up opportunities for other members of the academy ranks.
Speaking ahead of the short trip to Wearside, Stockdale said: “It’s just an opportunity for someone else to drop into this team. Particularly at this time of the year, the Under-21s, my experience tells me that it’s always changing.
“Players going out on loan, players getting sold like we have done. We’ve got 16 and 17-year-olds playing up so that’s the challenge but we will get on with it ultimately the job is to produce players for the first team and that’s what we will try and do.”