Newcastle United youngster Joe White has been tipped for big things by The Guardian’s Next Generation 2019 list.
The teenage midfielder has yet to make his first team debut, but has been training with Steve Bruce’s senior side this season, and is a regular for the U18s.
Writing for The Guardian, reporter Louise Taylor said: “It is fair to say the highly creative attacking midfielder is making waves at Newcastle’s training ground in his first year as a scholar.
“Described as having a “rare” passing range, White is left-footed, stands 6ft 1in and is unusually technically accomplished.
“Namechecked by Steve Bruce as one of the club’s most promising youngsters, he has made his debut for the under-23s after starring for the under-18s as well as training with Bruce’s first team.
“His precocious talent is said to be reminiscent of Mesut Özil’s.”
OPINION
There is a lot of hype surrounding White, and it’s easy to see why. Despite only turning 17 at the start of the month, the youngster has already made his debut for the U23s, and is progressing at quite a rate. It’s one thing for starlets to have praise lavished on them, but to be described as “unusually” talented is really something else, as are comparisons to World Cup winner Mesut Ozil. Perhaps most promising, however, is White’s natural physicality. At 6’1″, he is already built well enough to compete a higher level, and that could see him advance through the age groups at a good rate. Bruce has already shown that he is willing to put his faith in youth, after playing Matty Longstaff to great effect in the 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday. White will be hoping he can emulate that kind of success sooner rather than later.
