When Hugo Ekitike looked for all the world like he had joined Newcastle from Stade Reims three years ago, all the chatter among those in the North East was that they were signing the ‘next Thierry Henry’.
Football is famously reticent to overhype raw, unproven talents, but here was another premature comparison at least framed by what the eye could see.
Both tall, slight and elegant in stride. Both centre forwards, who like to drift wide to the left and run at defenders with those long legs and loping gait. And both near impossible to stop when they do.