Yankuba Minteh helps in firing Feyenoord two goals
Yankuba Minteh was in action on Sunday.
The 19 year old winger signed by United for a reported £8m (plus future potential add-ons, selling clause etc) from Danish club Odense, coming off the bench.
Only five minutes after coming off the bench, a dubious VAR decision denying Yankuba Minteh a goal that would have halved the deficit.
However, Minteh and his loan club teammates persevered, ending up with a hard earned point, goals from Gimenez (77 mins) and Saur (91 minutes) salvaged a draw.
Like Newcastle United, Yankuba Minteh and Feyenoord can’t wait to find out who their Champions League group opponents will be, with that announcement to be made on 31 August 2023.
Feyenoord were 2-0 down to local rivals Sparta Rotterdam when Yankuba Minteh was introduced on 65 minutes.
Some very interesting quotes as BBC Sport talked to those close to Yankuba Minteh – 9 August 2023:
Steffen Nielsen – Odense vice football chief executive:
“We could already see there was something with this guy.
“We were not sure what it was – some X-factor, some magic where he could do something extraordinary.
“The qualities he has are not trainable.
“Either you have it or you don’t – and he has it, big time, with his speed and quickness.”
“He went from complete unknown to very, very known.
“He took everything at once – he ate the whole cake.
“He became a starter and killed some of the other teams. It was a brilliant time.
“It’s just him, a football and playing the game he loves. It could be on a sandy pitch in The Gambia, it could be in Odense, it could be in the Premier League.
“When he gets the chance to play in the Premier League, he will grab it.”
Tom Saintfiet, head coach of The Gambia’s national team:
“He is very young and has a lot of qualities.
“He is very fast but he can use that speed in a dribble.
“He can create on the inside and outside, look for a combination or go for goal and is unpredictable for defenders.
“The expectations were very high and the desire for a transfer puts a lot of pressure on a young player.
“He’s still a kid.
“He listens to the coach and advisers but also puts himself under pressure because he tasted what it was like to be a star.
“He is a very passionate guy, a very nice guy to work with – very respectful and disciplined.
“He has the level to play higher than the Danish league – the only question is, what are his limits?
“You have to give a player of his age three or four years to know. Is it Holland? Is it England? We don’t know right now.
“It’s a different level physically and mentally but it’s a very, very smart move by Newcastle and the player that he goes to Feyenoord. The Dutch league is very good for young attacking players.
“This transfer gives him a little bit of time to enjoy himself. We don’t need to put on too much pressure from the start. Let him grow.”
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