Newcastle have no assurances that Elias Sorensen’s move to Carlisle United will pay off in the long run, after Cumbrians boss Steven Pressley insisted there are no clauses in his loan deal that dictate how often the striker must play, as quoted by the News and Star.
Sorensen moved to Brunton Park on a one-season deal last week, and made his debut as an early second-half substitute in his temporary side’s 2-0 defeat at home to Mansfield on Saturday.
Carlisle had plenty of the possession, but the 19-year-old Dane’s best chance to open his account was snuffed out by Stags ace Ryan Sweeney, who nodded the ball over his own bar before the whipped delivery could reach the Toon product making a darting run into the box.
Pressley hopes it will not be long before Sorensen finds the back of the net in Blue and White having been prolific in our Under 23s, but is adamant that he has the final say over how long the U20s international plays.
“It’s entirely in our hands,” Pressley said. “It’s like every loan player – they [the parent clubs] want them here and they want them to play, but they respect us managers have to make these decisions.
“I hope he will bring goals, and he’ll bring a movement in behind. I think he’s very effective.”
Sorensen will have to improve one key area of his game to make his time in League Two a success, though, as Pressley went on to address a weakness with the 6 ft 2 striker’s style that ensured he struggled in his cameo appearance against Mansfield.
“Unfortunately, with the way Mansfield set up, they tried to kill the space in behind, so we didn’t manage to quite utilise him in behind,” he added.
“It was good to get him on, and we hoped he could provide us with the impact we wanted. It wasn’t the case, but I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of him in the coming weeks.
“I think he’ll bring a real threat behind and he’s a real goalscorer.”
If Sorensen is able to earn regular minutes with Carlisle, the competitive nature of League Two will, hopefully, see the forward start to prove himself as being a striker capable of fighting stern defences, as he will not be able to rely on his runs in behind to carry him into a prominent first-team position at St James’ Park.
We will need the youngster to serve as the spearhead of our attack and hold up play so that players like Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin can push forward and join the attack, which is why Salmon Rondon fared so well during his year on loan in the North East when he had Ayoze Perez alongside him.