Newcastle United's academy has produced some solid talent in recent years, with Longstaff brothers Matty and Sean two dependable options and Elliot Anderson holding the hopes of the Geordies to be the next big thing.

However, they might just have another special talent who could blow the Longstaff brothers away and soon start staking his claim for a first-team spot in midfield.

Lucas De Bolle is a young Scotsman who already has vast experience across various youth levels despite his age. He featured 43 times for the Magpies at under-18 level, but with seven goals and four assists from midfield, was seemingly deemed too good for the division.

The 19-year-old has since featured exclusively in the under-21s, for whom he has made 30 appearances whilst chipping in with one goal and four assists.

Despite seemingly having gone under the radar for his quietly brilliant displays, over the summer Eddie Howe was full of praise for the teenager.

Having called him up to work with the first team, the 44-year-old singled him out for praise, saying: “I always wanted to get Lucas up as part of the under-23s group. Lucas is one who has some real good qualities technically, he's very able and can do some really good things. He's such a good character, a really nice kid and one that you really want to do well."

Owen Bailey, who was captain of the Newcastle under-23s when De Bolle joined, was another to join in on the praise, saying: “He's an intelligent lad off the field, and he shouldn't have any bother in terms of being grounded or his focus. He is very determined and focused, the world is his oyster at the minute.

He continued: “He's someone who shows more about what he's about when he's on the ball, so playing the way that Howe does, that will definitely help him.”

To see so many willing to offer compliments to De Bolle is a testament to the player's precocious talent, whilst Bailey’s comments outline him as a technically proficient midfielder with great intelligence.

Perhaps he could be for the Magpies what Declan Rice currently is for West Ham United. He too came through the academy at his club and is also renowned for his intelligence and quality on the ball.

Just last season, the 23-year-old Irons captain averaged a 92% pass accuracy whilst making 1.8 interceptions per game. Without doing anything particularly fancy, Rice has garnered praise from all across the country for his solid midfield performances.

De Bolle could certainly replicate this in future years, and his current trajectory suggests that he will soon be in line to start challenging for a spot in the Newcastle first team once he returns from his loan spell at Hamilton Academical.