Hugo Ekitike moved a step closer to completing a summer move to Newcastle United last night, but he was also in action for France U20 at the Maurice Revello tournament.
A few hours before RMC Sport revealed that the player had now ‘agreed to join Newcastle in principle’, the Reims forward put in an impressive first half display in his country’s 6-2 win over Argentina.
Not only did he bag a clever assist 15 minutes into the game, putting Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche in behind with a clever flick, he won the free kick that led to France’s second and bust a gut to win the ball back in the build up to their third.
The 19-year-old came off at half-time – not with an injury you’ll be glad to hear – and they went on to win 6-2, seeing them finish top of their group ahead of Thursday’s semi-final.
Interestingly, he played out wide in a 4-3-3 yesterday. He’s a striker by trade and has been compared to Kylian Mbappe, but the fact he can play up top or out wide will only appeal to Eddie Howe.
Here’s a clip of the exciting Frenchman bagging a smart assist in Saturday’s win:
