Eddie Howe has revealed that he has 'really high hopes' for Lucas de Bolle after being 'hugely impressed' with the Newcastle United youngster.
Howe named de Bolle on the bench for the first time against Aston Villa on Sunday after the 19-year-old caught the eye in training at a time when Newcastle are without a number of regulars.
De Bolle first trained with the senior pros under Steve Bruce, but Howe has been keen to keep the midfielder around the first-team group in recent weeks, particularly after Jeff Hendrick and Matty Longstaff left on loan.
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Fellow prospects Michael Ndiweni and Charlie Wiggett have also got the chance to impress at Benton, but it is de Bolle who Howe has seen 'more of'.
"Lucas has been with us consistently now for three weeks and he's been very good," Howe told reporters on Zoom. "I've been hugely impressed.
"I saw him play in a development game and really liked him instantly so I've got really high hopes for him. I think, technically, he's very good and he can play in a number of positions as well, which is really important.
"His emergence has given us the ability to send a couple of the other lads on loan to go and get some regular game time, which they needed, so I'm pleased with him.
"I've seen less of Michael but he's another player I really like and, probably, less of Charlie but, again, he's a player that we like and who has been around the group."
After being included in the match day squad for the first time against Aston Villa last week, de Bolle could make the bench once more when Newcastle travel to the London Stadium to face West Ham on Saturday.
Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Targett may be back in contention, but Newcastle will be without the injured Kieran Trippier and Javier Manquillo so the Magpies will again be a little light on numbers because Matt Ritchie, Federico Fernandez and Callum Wilson are all still sidelined.
Trippier and Manquillo's injuries mean that Emil Krafth could make his first league start since December and Howe has no doubt that the Sweden international can step up.
"From starting to work with Emil, I really liked him as a person and as a player," he said. "You go back to the Manchester United game, I thought he was outstanding that day for us both defensively and offensively.
"He's a really good athlete and he's a very good defender so I'm delighted with Emil. I'm delighted to have him in the squad and this is a good opportunity for him now to have a consistent run in the team."
Krafth, of course, has big shoes to fill after Trippier fractured a bone in his foot not long after scoring what proved to be a winner in the 1-0 victory against Villa last time out.
When it comes to crosses (10), touches (266) and passes completed in the opposition half (55), Trippier has led the way since joining the club from Atletico Madrid last month.
Those are huge numbers for a right-back but, perhaps, given the demands Howe places on his full-backs, they should not necessarily come as a surprise.
"You look a lot of time at your build-up play, they will be the ones that have to find the first pass to set your attack," Howe added. "They will be the ones that are probably under the biggest pressure by the touchline surrounded by players and they have to find a way out.
"It's very easy to find a negative way out, but that doesn't help the team. One of Kieran's big strengths was his positivity, and his progression of passing has helped the team.
"From an attacking sense, a lot of your assists and goals will come from your full-backs in modern day football. I don't see that changing; if anything, I see that increasing.
"Then when you add the defensive responsibilities on, they have a hard job to get up and then back again. Certainly, we ask a lot of full-backs here. It's an all-encompassing job and that's why they're so important to every team."
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