Newcastle United may have secured themselves a gem in Sean Steur. That’s at least if Michael Reiziger’s opinion is anything to go by.
He’s very optimistic about the 18-year-old’s development after an up and down start to life at St James Park.
The youngster moved to Newcastle United from Ajax in the summer in a €23.5m deal. That raised some eyebrows given he had only managed 26 appearances in Ajax’s first team by that point.
Michael Reiziger is well placed to judge. Not only did he have an impressive career himself, he’s currently manager of the Netherlands U21 side. Steur is in that that side, and Reiziger has seen him up close repeatedly.
What Reiziger sees in youngster
He’s had an interesting start to life under Matthias Jaissle since, with difficult performances against Leeds followed by an impressive display in the 2-1 win over Hull City.
Give his age, he is very much one for the future. But Reiziger believes that increased playing time at Newcastle will only see that talent continue to come to the fore.
“Sean joined the Ajax first team last year and performed well, though it often alternated between playing a match and sitting on the bench,” he said to Voetbal International.
“And now Sean is continuing to develop at Newcastle; it’s great to see. He’s simply a good footballer. He needs to increase the minutes he gets there; that will make him even stronger.
“But the fact that he’s already playing so much at the highest level in the best league in the world – for a club that is highly regarded there, too – is really impressive for his age.”
| Statistic | 2025/26 Ajax | 2025/26 Jong Ajax | 2026/27 Newcastle so far |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 25 | 11 | 7 |
| Minutes | 1,502 | 854 | 290 |
| Goals | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Assists | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Goal contributions | 3 | 2 | 0 |
A big future from here
Reiziger is a massive fan of the midfielder. In fact, he thinks that Newcastle have secured a player that you simply don’t see very often.
“Sean is the kind of player you don’t see very often,” he added.
“He reads the game, has drive, is composed on the ball, and can really take charge of the game.
“I saw that at Ajax last year, too – how he would direct other players, knowing that if they stood in a certain spot, it would free him up elsewhere. Seeing him orchestrate things like that is wonderful to watch.”
