Source: Daily_Mail
Young Ranger rewarded with new contract at Newcastle
Alan Shearer has handed striker Nile Ranger the perfect belated 18th birthday present, a new three-and-a-half year contract at St James' Park.
The stand-in Newcastle boss took a day to assess Ranger's abilities and put him straight in to the first-team squad for the home defeat to Chelsea, although the youngster did not make the bench.
Ranger was included against Stoke last week, on the day of his 18th birthday, and has been training with the first team for more than a fortnight.
The Londoner, who arrived last year as a free agent from Shearer's former club Southampton, has scored 22 goals for Newcastle reserves and youth teams this season.
He said: 'You never expect to come for nine months, and get offered a new contract. I'm buzzing. It's a different environment for me, but I've settled in well, and I feel great about things.'
