According to the Chronicle Live, Newcastle United are weighing up a move for Rochdale wonder kid Luke Matheson, with the report claiming that the Magpies are impressed with the development of the 16-year-old starlet.
The teenager recently grabbed the headlines with an equaliser for Rochdale at Old Trafford against Man United in the EFL Cup and, while the League One side bowed out of the competition on penalties, Luke Matheson stole the show and enhanced his stocks significantly with that goal.
However, as the report suggests, Newcastle had been monitoring him ever since he made his debut for Rochdale’s first-team in the Checkatrade Trophy last year and the Magpies weren’t really surprised when Matheson put in an inspired performance against the Red Devils earlier in the week.
Matheson, who became Rochdale’s youngster ever debutant at the age of 15 years and 336 days when he made his bow for the first-team against Bury last season, has really come of age in the ongoing campaign under manager Bryan Barry-Murphy.
The 16-year-old right-back made only 7 appearances for Rochdale last season but he has already racked up a tally of 8 in all competitions this term and the teenager certainly looks good for a lot more as the season wears on.
Despite making only a handful of appearances at the senior level, Matheson has apparently done enough to catch the eye of some of the Premier League clubs, with Newcastle interested in taking up the challenge of polishing him into a future gem, although they are yet to make a formal offer for the talented youngster.
The 16-year-old is still very much in the formative years of his career as a footballer but his talent and potential have been there for everybody to see.
That he is playing senior men’s football in the third-tier at such a tender age is indicative of a level of maturity which belies his years and the Magpies have every reason to look at him as one for the future.
Newcastle have struggled to recruit a quality right-back over the past few years, with Javier Manquillo, DeAndre Yedlin and, most recently, Emil Krafth failing to live up to the expectations at St. James’ Park.
Matheson, of course, still has some way to go in his development before he matures into a first-team player for the Magpies in the Premier League but it is a no-brainer that signing a talented youngster like him would definitely benefit the club in the longer run.
With that in mind, Newcastle completing a thrifty deal for the 16-year-old England U-17 international would be a shrewd piece of business that might reap rich rewards in the years to come.
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