Alan Shearer is right, hardly-seen starlet can change Newcastle's fortunes

Alan Shearer is right to urge Matthias Jaissle to give Sean Steur more chances at Newcastle as they struggle for a creative spark.

The Newcastle manager has come under increasing pressure on Tyneside following their 1-0 home loss to Aston Villa.

Villa's St James' Park victory consigned the Magpies to a third defeat in their last four Premier League outings.

Jaissle needs results, and fast, to prove to Newcastle's owners and fans that he is the man to lead the club forward into their next era.

Club legend Alan Shearer has outlined his confusion at the failure to bring technically-gifted midfielder Steur on from the bench with the Magpies chasing a goal against Villa.

The Dutch talent's stats in the Eredivisie prove that he should be given more game time in the coming weeks as they look to return to form.

What has Alan Shearer said about Sean Steur?

Steur has featured in seven competitive games for Newcastle this season following a £23million move from Ajax in July.

He shone in wins over the likes of West Brom and Hull, but has failed to feature for a single minute from the bench in either of Newcastle's last two games, losses to both Coventry and Villa.

Shearer admitted that he would have liked to see the 18-year-old utilised in both games after Jaissle's side had fallen behind on the latest Rest Is Football podcast.

He said: "Those two performances would really worry me. There was a lack of everything, they don't look solid and I was missing that killer pass. I said to you about the youngster Sean Steur, who could play that killer pass. He chose not to bring him on, and it was a worrying performance on Saturday."

Steur can certainly feel hard done by at his lack of action, especially considering what Newcastle's other midfielders served up across both games after he shone on the creative front for Ajax last season.

Steur's stats prove that he can inspire Newcastle to return to winning ways

Newcastle only took one shot on target against the Villans, while Yoane Wissa failed to create a chance against Coventry from attacking midfield as their only goal came via a stunner from Sven Botman.

It is clear that they need to do more in the final third to set their attackers up to score, with Steur's stats proving that he can be the man to make the difference.

He was among the best-performing Eredivisie midfielders in 2025-26 for line-breaking passes (6.19) per 90, chances created (1.19) per 90 and successful pass percentage (89.7).

The teenager created two chances in his last start for the Magpies as they beat Hull, while also making more passes into the final third (5) than any other Newcastle midfielder.

Shearer is right to call out Jaissle's poor use of the Dutchman, and he is deserving of another start when they face Crystal Palace this weekend.