Pre-season prep is under way at Newcastle United
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Newcastle United's senior stars were joined by some of the club's young guns as they reported back at the club's Benton base for the start of pre-season this week.
Eddie Howe and his backroom staff are set to put players through their paces before the return of non-competitive football later this month and the Magpies' most impressive under-21 stars will be afforded the opportunity to stake their claim for more face time in the senior squad in the months to come.
As pre-season prep got under way earlier this week, the likes of Alex Murphy, Leo Shahar, Trevan Sanusi, Travis Hernes, Sean Neave and Max Thompson were all spotted taking their place among their first-team counterparts in training.
The majority of the sextet have all tasted senior football in some form at Newcastle, whether it be featuring under Howe or making the bench for domestic games, and are seen as future stars in the making.
This summer could provide each of them the perfect opportunity to kick on as Howe watches on.
In summers past, the Newcastle boss has shown he is not afraid to use summer matches as an opportunity to test which of the club's youth setup could make the jump to senior level.
Sanusi and Murphy have benefitted from such tactics, while a post-season jaunt to Australia in 2024 also allowed unfamiliar youngsters such as Ciaran Thompson and Dylan Charlton to experience life as senior Newcastle players for the first time.
Last summer also saw Jamie Miley afforded first-team minutes before he left for Hartlepool, while Matty Bondswell - now at Peterborough Sports - was the standout youth star in Howe's first pre-season on Tyneside.
The likes of Harrison Ashby, Garang Kuol and Joe White are also back on Tyneside but are each approaching a crossroads in their career. Meanwhile, fresh faces such as Anthony Elanga, and potentially James Trafford, will only add to the competition for places in the north east.
Who will stand up and be counted this time around - and can any young pretender force their way into Howe's Premier League plans?
Treasure a season to remember
Newcastle United's 2024-25 campaign has to rank as one of the best in living memory. Not only did Eddie Howe's side qualify for the Champions League by securing fifth place in the Premier League, but they ended their long wait for silverware by winning the Carabao Cup
Our special Chronicle end-of-season edition celebrates an incredible campaign for the Magpies, with in-depth analysis, ratings and interviews of a season to remember.
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