Dundee United boss Tam Courts saw the signs of ‘an exciting player’ being crafted.
Impressed teammate Tony Watt declared: ‘What a talent’.
But has Ghanaian debutant Mathew Cudjoe done enough to play his way into derby contention?
Following a bright 11-minute cameo in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Hibernian, the waspish teenager certainly hopes so.
“I hope next week against Dundee, that I can come in and do better,” a beaming Cudjoe said. “I hope there is more to come.”
Immediate impact
Cudjoe’s introduction buoyed an already bouncing 2,000-strong travelling support at Easter Road, such has been their desire to see the diminutive forward in action.
Great interview from the wee man 😍🙌🏻 what a talent 👍 https://t.co/C57WMs2ZQC
— Tony Watt (@32watto) April 2, 2022
With a trial period at Bayern Munich and an Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations title under his belt, his debut was long-awaited.
Cudjoe’s first touch was met by a deafening roar and the excitement only built further. Cudjoe was brave, direct and aggressive; 5ft 6ins of fury.
There was a glimpse of end product there, too.
Of his seven touches — a not inconsequential tally in a short period of time, especially when Hibs were pushing for a winner — two of those came in the opposition box.
Only Ilmari Niskanen (six) and Adrian Sporle (three) registered more for United in the entire match.
He got one shot away, drifting inches wide of the post, and boasted 75% accuracy from his four passes in the final third.
By way of reference, Cudjoe enjoyed more touches in the opposition box than Marc McNulty (one), Tony Watt (one) and Nicky Clark (none).
All of those players also failed to register a shot, unlike Cudjoe.
It must be noted that Clark was deployed in a far deeper role in the capital, as illustrated by his average position (below), which found him (No.10) often United’s deepest midfielder.
Likewise, Watt’s role was far from that of an out-and-out striker, as underlined by his fine run and delivery for United’s opening goal.
And Cudjoe benefited from entering the fray at a time when the contest was becoming stretched.
Nevertheless, it appears that he is well equipped to conjure something from nothing.
Big call for Courts
Whether that maverick, wild-card factor is deemed necessary from the start against Dundee — a game that United will hope to dominate and provide service for McNulty, should he be passed fit — is another matter entirely.
A sense of Cudjoe’s raw inexperience was afforded at the other end during a breathless debut, as he hung out a loose leg in the path of Hibs’ Chris Mueller.
The hosts howled for a penalty as the American hit the deck. Tangerine hearts skipped a beat.
“The referee was closer than me so I’ll trust that he got that right,” smiled Courts afterwards.
Bedding in process
But Cudjoe’s impact did not go unnoticed by Courts, who reckons there was sufficient promise to suggest he will be an impactful option in the future.
Courts also explained his decision to wait five months before handing the youngster his first-team bow, given he arrived on these shores in November.
“It’s been a few months of integrating Mathew, getting him comfortable,” said the United boss. “He’s come from a different continent so that’s key.
“You could see that the fans were excited to see him and he had a couple of very interesting moments.
“I thought he showed enough to suggest that he will be an exciting player for us.”
