Newcastle United played a behind-closed-doors friendly against Carlisle United on Saturday, with Eddie Howe’s side running out 4-0 winners.
It was the first test of the 2025/26 campaign, and the Magpies passed it with flying colours.
There will understandably be some difficulty when returning from a lengthy break for pre-season training, but it appears Eddie Howe has been putting his Newcastle United side through their paces and took to the pitch at Darsley Park to play National League side Carlisle United.
The players braved the intense heat and were rewarded with a 4-0 win to kickstart what will be a very busy pre-season schedule. Trips to Singapore and South Korea are in the offing before a Sela Cup clash against Atletico Madrid.
While the likes of Joelinton and Leeds United target Sean Longstaff got on the scoresheet, Howe also gave eight academy players the chance to sign, with one even scoring during the game.
Newcastle United players jogging during pre-season training.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Eight Newcastle United academy stars feature against Carlisle United
Newcastle’s academy is growing significantly at the moment. Players are being signed from other academies, rather than just bringing in local talent. This move is slowly paying off, with the Young Magpies reaching the Premier League 2 play-offs and picking up some important wins throughout the season.
Pre-season is a great opportunity for young players to have their chance to shine against professional teams and show Howe why they deserve to be in the first-team squad.
On Saturday, Howe gave eight players the chance to impress. Those players were:
Alex Murphy
Trevan Sanusi
Leo Shahar
Sean Neave
Joe White
Harrison Ashby
Ben Parkinson
Travis Hernes
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Young midfielder Lewis Miley was also named in the starting XI for the game. There were concerns over Miley’s fitness after it was revealed he had to pull out of the England Under-19s squad for their European Championship campaign through injury. However, it looks like he has made a full recovery.
Newcastle United’s youth players will get their chance in pre-season
Howe is notorious for allowing young players to shine in the first team, so it comes as no surprise that he has used as many of them in Saturday’s friendly win.
Ben Parkinson is undoubtedly the biggest winner out of the lot, as he scored Newcastle’s fourth goal in the game. With the Magpies searching for a new striker, he could show Howe that he could save him millions this summer and that he is ready to play in the Premier League after his debut in 2023.
With the Magpies playing six games in the space of three weeks, it is clear Howe will need to rotate from time to time.
First minutes of pre-season 💪
Goals from Sean Longstaff, Joelinton, Jacob Murphy and Ben Parkinson saw us beat Carlisle United 4-0 in a behind-closed-doors game earlier this afternoon.
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) July 12, 2025
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A busy schedule can only mean good things for the young players who are waiting for their chance. With games like Arsenal and Tottenham on the horizon, they can get an understanding of what it is like to play a Premier League team and use the experience to better themselves.
After Howe’s squad choice in Saturday’s friendly, it is clear that there are several young players to keep an eye out for over the next few weeks.