Kazenga LuaLua is ready

While the Newcastle season has been stricken with many problems, the emergence of young talent is the club is a reason for optimism. The likes of Andy Carroll and David Edgar have become a fixture in the starting eleven and waiting in the wings is bevy of exciting young talent.

One of the top talents pressing for a move to the first team is Kazenga LuaLua. A pacy and creative talent in the attack as well as exhibiting tireless defending he has steadily shown he is ready for the next level.

Following the reserves 5-0 trounching of Wigan Athletic, first team coach Colin Calderwood said of the eighteen year-old:

"There were one or two special moments and good bits of interchange with the rest of the boys.

"But he also showed a good awareness to run back and fill in the hole.

"It's a development of his game. It's not just about the bits that everyone will recall, his goal and his good play going forward.

"He also had a good willingness to work for the team.

"But that's the education you get from training with the first team and then taking that into games."

"It's a progression. What he did against Wigan I think he can do at a higher level," he added.

"We can see that he does that in training against more experienced and better players.

"He will progress and have a good career as long as he has good application and continues to work hard.

"If he does that then performances like tonight will lead to performances like that in the first team."