There is star-in-the-making quality about Sean Steur.

Everyone at Newcastle United is understandably desperate to avoid hype building around the 18-year-old, yet the buzz Steur is generating will prove hard to contain should he make a positive early impression on English football.

That is partly down to the player himself, because rather than plead patience as he transitions to the Premier League, he has the self-belief that, should Matthias Jaissle opt to start him against Liverpool on Sunday, Steur would not be daunted. He would back himself to deliver.

Those inside Newcastle are urging caution and are rightly trying to protect a teenager who has barely played a season of senior football and has moved to a new country and a new league. But the way he demands possession, his desire to play forward and his Ajax-generated swagger and style on the field cannot help but engender excitement among supporters.

Despite Newcastle’s post-takeover gross spending edging towards almost £1billion ($1.4bn) on signings, the only teenage addition who proved more expensive was Lewis Hall, who cost £28m from Chelsea in 2024 (after an initial loan).

Hall was raw and had made only 12 senior appearances, though intra-Premier League transfers come with a premium. Steur had only made 19 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax (14 starts) but Eddie Howe and Newcastle’s recruitment team had seen enough to commit a fee in the region of €25m (£21.4m, $29m) on the Dutchman.

Howe brought Steur to the club (Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Newcastle liked what Steur already is, but they were utterly convinced by what Steur could become.

In a post-Bruno Guimaraes world, Newcastle are searching for a new talisman. In time, that may prove to be Steur — though the Brazilian midfielder’s exit has potentially expedited the process.

There are parallels between Guimaraes and Steur stylistically, with both keen to receive possession under pressure and get their team moving forwards, while neither is the quickest when it comes to sprinting. Yet Steur, like Guimaraes, covers ground well and has the engine to sustain that throughout 90 minutes. The Dutchman’s footballing IQ has also been noted by recruitment specialists across Europe.

Ideally, Newcastle hoped Guimaraes would remain at St James’ Park for at least another season or two, continuing to be the team’s creative spark in the middle and their leader, too. Steur learning from Guimaraes, watching the Brazil international in training and eventually emulating him seemed like an ideal proposition.

Bruno Guimaraes will be tough to replace (Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images)

But events have altered the blueprint, and that is why Steur qualifies as Newcastle’s likely breakthrough player for the upcoming campaign, even if he has only just joined. The Dutchman looks better placed than any Newcastle under-21 player — with the exception of Mason Miley, the 17-year-old younger brother of Lewis who impressed throughout pre-season — to claim regular minutes.

Jaissle is looking to bring in an experienced midfielder to succeed Guimaraes, with Manchester City’s Nico Gonzalez a clear target, which should alleviate some of the expectation on Steur.

With Jaissle requiring two deep midfield options — and Joelinton out for at least a fortnight with a muscular injury and Lewis Miley having only managed 45 minutes throughout pre-season as he recovers from a broken leg — Steur may find himself primed for game time early in 2026-27.

Those who have worked with Steur almost universally cite his maturity. He is 18 going on 25, they say, and Newcastle were comfortable putting Steur up for interview after his non-competitive debut at Gateshead last month.

Steur is also single-minded and relentlessly driven. He has his sights set on reaching the very top, and Newcastle convinced him they should be an important step along the way.

David Hopkinson’s “Newcastle United 2.0”, which he outlined to The Athletic earlier this month, has player trading built into the model and their aim is to unearth the next generation of world-class players. Should Steur develop as projected on Tyneside, then he will either achieve his ambitions with Newcastle — as those inside the club hope — or be sold for a significant profit.

A false narrative has emerged that Howe was not heavily involved in Newcastle’s early-summer transfer plans. The desire to acquire younger players may have been a club-led strategy, but those brought in were with Howe’s say-so.

Howe was definitely taken with Steur, even if the former head coach felt the midfielder would need to physically bulk up to consistently run games in the Premier League — and may take up to two seasons to adapt.

According to sources close to the player, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, an early-summer meeting with Howe in London proved crucial in persuading Steur to move to Tyneside. Andy Howe, the senior football executive, had presented an exciting pitch to Steur and his camp, while Ross Wilson, the sporting director, re-emphasised how Newcastle would look to develop the midfielder.

There was interest from clubs in Italy, Germany, France and the Premier League, yet Steur was intrigued by Newcastle’s proposal. He was further enthused by Eddie Howe outlining what he saw in his game and what could be improved, with particular emphasis upon his tendency to seek forward-playing solutions and be brave in possession.

Once Howe saw Steur on the training field, his impressions were validated. Howe told his close associates Steur “has everything” and would become a “top player”.

Howe’s departure, therefore, came as a shock to Steur, who had partly made his decision based upon their conversations. However, Jaissle’s stylistic footballing similarities and the German’s keenness for his deep-lying midfielders to be bold and capable of playing upfield swiftly, with precision, means Steur may have found continuity of sorts.

Jaissle’s approach might still suit Steur (Photo: Abdullah Ahmed/Getty Images)

While Howe believed Steur was capable of playing as a No 6 or as a No 8 in his 4-3-3 system, under Jaissle the Dutchman has featured prominently as part of the double pivot in a 4-2-3-1. Jaissle likes his centre-halves to split and for one of his No 6s to move deep and almost create a back three during build-up play, something Steur has looked comfortable doing.

Steur’s passing accuracy can improve, even if there will always be a risk-reward element to his distribution given his willingness to try and break lines. Physically, Steur may find the Premier League challenging in the short-to-medium term, given his age and frame; his body needs to develop, and he has to become accustomed to the muscular nature of English football.

But the raw attributes are there for the Dutchman to become a star. That is why Newcastle invested so heavily in the teenager, and also why they are so keen to douse the ever-growing expectations.

Too much should not be expected of Steur too soon, though do not try telling that to the midfielder himself.

Trey Nyoni sat in the stands alongside the man who has seen every step of his development.

England Under-19s had just beaten Portugal 6-0 in Braga and Nyoni’s father was one of only a handful of parents who had stuck around to see it.

After a long international camp away from family and three Euros qualifiers, a few minutes in person to debrief the performance and look to the future were clearly well received by the midfielder, who was excellent on the day.

The hope back then, at the end of March, with Liverpool still in the FA Cup and Champions League, was that before the end of the campaign, Nyoni would get another opportunity to shine. Having not started a senior game in five months, he returned to Merseyside with a spring in his step after three Under-19 outings.

But the closing 10 games of the season would bring little joy, and instead it was fellow under-19 team-mate, Rio Ngumoha, who benefited from an end-of-season boost.

Nyoni with friend and team-mate Rio Ngumoha (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

While Ngumoha thrived as he made eight appearances, including three starts, before becoming the most talked-about player in a friendly for the England senior team against New Zealand before the World Cup, Nyoni was given just nine minutes of action, with seven of those arriving in the final game of the season.

His 14 appearances across the campaign were an improvement on the five outings he made the season before, but nowhere near enough to build any momentum. Apart from two starts in the Carabao Cup early in the season, Nyoni was largely restricted to late cameos in the closing minutes of games.

With Champions League qualification in the balance until the final game of the season, perhaps it was not a surprise that former head coach Arne Slot stuck with his senior players to get over the line, although the alternative view is that a refresh in midfield — when legs were clearly tiring — may have given the team a new lease of life.

A host of Championship clubs and multiple others across Europe contacted Liverpool to discuss a loan in January, but Nyoni was needed as cover.

Tyler Morton, the midfielder who moved to Lyon and enjoyed a stunning first season in France, fell into the same category a year earlier before he took the plunge and left Anfield after a couple of successful temporary moves.

It was expected that Nyoni would listen to loan offers this summer and wait for Liverpool’s guidance, but the situation has changed. No longer is a temporary move under consideration as he focuses on making an impact at Liverpool. The alternative of considering a new project elsewhere has also cooled in recent weeks after an impressive summer.

If there’s any player who has benefited from the pre-season period, it’s Nyoni. New head coach Andoni Iraola said after the U.S. tour, where the 19-year-old was the standout performer: “Even when he has one opponent quite close, he asks for that ball and he’s confident, he doesn’t rush. For me, that is very valuable.”

Nyoni has had an impressive pre-season (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Iraola admires his playing style but whether that translates into more game time — which Nyoni now needs — remains to be seen. Other clubs had signalled they were willing to offer the platform for regular minutes, but his immediate future remains at Liverpool and the first half of this season will be crucial.

The context around Nyoni is also important as it helps explain the position he found himself in this summer.

Yes, he only recently turned 19, and it’s a lot to expect a young man to step up and control the midfield for Liverpool. As a player with a slight figure, he’s also had to work hard on building up his body to match his undeniable technical qualities.

But playing just 21 minutes in the Premier League last season was hardly a convincing pathway for a deeper run in the future. When Nyoni last met up with England Under-19s, he played in midfield alongside Harrison Armstrong and Chris Rigg, both of whom played more often for Everton and Sunderland last season.

Arsenal’s Max Dowman also played for longer across the campaign and he missed half of it through injury. Even Chelsea’s Jesse Derry, who has since joined Sporting CP on loan for the season, played more Premier League minutes.

In a short space of time, so much has been said about Nyoni, first by Jurgen Klopp, who gave him his debut after Liverpool signed him from Leicester City in 2023, then Slot, and of course those working behind the scenes. Now, though, it’s his time to shine, whether that’s for Liverpool or elsewhere.

That Iraola wants him to stick around is a good sign. He’s a confident, progressive passer who can sit in front of the defence and play an important role in the build-up of attacks. With Curtis Jones in discussions to leave for Inter, there’s an opportunity to move up the pecking order and spend more time on the pitch.

His experience of training with senior international team-mates for the past two years has also helped his progress and his steady rise is now ready for lift-off.

Two members of the Milligan University cycling team were killed and seven others were injured, and a driver was charged with vehicular homicide on Wednesday after officials said he struck riders who were training on a mountain highway in Tennessee.

Sophomores Brayden Rogers and Haylan Engdahl were killed in the crash, which happened around 8 a.m., according to Milligan, a private Christian liberal arts school in northeastern Tennessee, near Johnson City. The crash occurred on Highway 19E near Simerly Creek Road in Carter County, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said on social media.

The driver, John Benfield, 69, of Newland, N.C., has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle by recklessness, Steven R. Finney, the district attorney general for Carter County, said at a news conference. Benfield was booked into jail.

“It is more important than ever right now that we are a community gathered around Jesus and we need Jesus deeply,” Stephen Waers, the president of Milligan, said in a YouTube video. “I’d like to invite you into prayer with us, into grief with us, into prayer for the families of those we have lost, into prayer for those who are still receiving treatment.”

Seven of the school’s 11 cyclists were taken to Johnson City Medical Center to receive care, according to Waers. Authorities did not release further information on their condition.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Maj. Roy Brown said at the news conference that a large number of emergency workers responded to the crash, including multiple air medical teams transporting injured people for treatment. Brown said the crash remains under investigation.

“We know the families, the Milligan community and people across this region want answers,” the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a statement. “We want those answers too. Our responsibility now is to conduct a careful and thorough investigation and provide information based on the facts.”

Finney said officials will reach out to the families of the victims to organize a group meeting so they can receive the “answers that we can give” regarding the case. He added that Milligan, with an enrollment of around 1,200 students, had an “elite cycling team.”

In May, Milligan’s cycling team claimed the men’s team time trial national title at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road Nationals in Madison, Wis.

“It’s not a bunch of those club guys getting together to ride,” Finney said. “They know what they’re doing. They rode in a peloton. One of the boys just won last weekend in one of the local races.”

“I want the media to know, and I want our community to know that these young men chose to come here, chose to come to this school, and they are members of our community as such,” he added. “You should treat them with the grace and the dignity — and their families — that they deserve.”