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White compared to Ozil

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Newcastle United prodigy Joe White has been compared to Arsenal maestro Mesut Ozil by a former coach. 

The 16-year-old has rapidly risen through the Magpies’ youth setup in recent times, and made his debut for the U23s against West Ham over the weekend.

And according to former Toon coach David Ballantyne, who worked at the club under Sir Bobby Robson, the 6’1″ starlet [Chronicle] has the potential to be a top quality player.

A quote from an article in the Chronicle reads: “Ballantyne also pinpoints White’s passing ability, and vision – revealing that certain aspects of his game remind him of Mesut Ozil of Arsenal.”

OPINION

This is high praise indeed. Ozil might have become a bit of a figure of fun in recent seasons as his form fluctuates wildly, but he is a World Cup winner, and still one of the most fearsome playmakers in England when he gets going. White has a long way to go before he reaches that level, but the fact that he is drawing such comparisons at such a tender age, plus the fact that he is already playing for the U23s and training with the first team, as reported by the Chronicle, would suggest that he is certainly on the right trajectory. The rise of Sean and Matty Longstaff has shown that if you are good enough, regardless of age, you will be given a chance on Tyneside, and if he keeps his head down and keeps on getting compared to World Cup winners, it is surely only a matter of time before he is given his shot in the senior side.

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