Newcastle United teenager Yannick Toure has been pictured training with the first team ahead of their clash with Chelsea this weekend.
The 18-year-old was a summer signing from Swiss side Young Boys and has been a fleeting presence in the under-23 side this season but has not been part of any first team squads, including their domestic cup outings when manager Rafael Benitez has called upon young talent.
However, as pictured on the club’s official website (Picture 18, no. 55) the teen starlet took part in the senior side’s training sessions ahead of the match at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
Opinion
Toure is unlikely to get a shot at any first team action against the Blues but it does suggest he has been impressing behind the scenes and with an FA Cup replay against Blackburn Rovers, he could well be in line for a senior debut in the not-too-distant future. Newcastle’s attacking options have been dire this season with the exception of Salomon Rondon for the first team and Elias Sorensen for the under-23s and so Benitez might well be looking at alternatives to try and solve the problem he has up front. Toure was a highly rated talent on his arrival to St James’ Park and so has a lot of expectation to live up to, even for an 18-year-old. Time is of course on his side but the fans, who have not seen any decent young talents come through the system in recent years, would love to see him, or anyone else for that matter, make the breakthrough. The Swiss Alan Shearer? It is probably a bit too early to be saying that, but with Sorensen banging the goals in for the reserves and under-21s, the future could well be bright up front for the Toon Army.