'4 goals in one game and full international' - Who is new Walsall loanee Daniel Kanu?

The club announced that Bournemouth had opted to terminate Stuttle's season-long loan, after the 19-year-old was forced off with a serious knee injury on Tuesday. 

Stuttle went down in the first half of their 1-0 home defeat against Grimsby Town, before left wing-back Mason Hancock was also stretchered off with a knee injury after the break. 

Walsall will be nervously awaiting an update on the extent of Hancock's issue, although Mat Sadler has conceded that he fears he could be out for a "significant period". 

He has at least moved quickly to bolster his attacking line with the loan capture of Kanu, and here is everything you need to know about the Saddlers' latest recruit.

Goal scoring machine at academy level 

Kanu joined Charlton's academy at under-11 level and rose through the ranks alongside former Saddlers loanee Nathan Asiimwe. 

He propelled himself into the spotlight by scoring 41 goals at youth level during the 2021-22 campaign, which earned him his first team debut at the age of 17 in February 2022. 

"His attitude to working and improving is exceptional and we want to work with players like that," technical director Andy Scott said after he penned his first professional contract just prior to his first team bow. 

"We believe that we can make him into a player that's going to have a big, bright future at the club. He is exceptionally quick and has always had an eye for goal."

Four goals on first start at Southend

Kanu flirted with a breakthrough into the first team the following season but faced stern competition in the form of Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Miles Leaburn, Jayden Stockley and Chuks Aneke.

Nonetheless, Kanu netted in back-to-back games in defeats against Bristol Rovers and Port Vale respectively at the start of the 2023-24 season.

Southend United snapped him up on a short-term loan in October 2023 and the pacy forward marked his first start with a four-goal haul in a 5-0 demolition of Solihull Moors. 

He went on to set-up the opening goal in a 1-1 draw at Boreham Wood and earned himself his first international call-up for Sierra Leone during that period. 

Sierra Leone international

His senior debut on the international stage came in a 2-0 defeat against Egypt in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in the November of that year. 

Charlton recalled him from his loan at Roots Hall the following month and he added a further four goals upon his return to The Valley. 

Injury held Kanu back at Charlton last season, as he scored once in 17 appearances during their League One play-off winning campaign. 

Kanu set-up Charlton's third goal for Luke Berry in a 3-1 win over Stevenage in the League Cup earlier this month, but has not featured in the squad for their opening two games in the Championship. 

Since his international bow in 2023, Kanu has won five caps for his country in all competitions.