· 20 May 2025, 17:30
**Newcastle United have just one game remaining this season, which sees them take on Everton at St James' Park on Sunday.**
When the fixtures were announced, and indeed for much of the season, this was seen as a nice little tap-in to end the season with, but Everton are currently on a good run of form, having won their last two games.
While the Toffees have nothing to play for on the final day, simply putting a boot into Newcastle's Champions League hopes could be incentive enough.
Newcastle could be without Alexander Isak for the Toffees clash, and Callum Wilson showed on Sunday that he's no longer the answer, so does that mean Will Osula will get a run out, or what about 17-year-old Sean Neave?
Sean Neave has been around the first-team for much of the season
If Newcastle are cruising to victory we may see Sean Neave on Sunday
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Sean Neave has been riding the bench for Newcastle quite often this season, including in the Carabao Cup final, which saw him pick up a winner's medal despite having played zero minutes for the first team.
Could Eddie Howe give him his debut on Sunday? Well, probably not unless, as [Chris Waugh writes for The Athletic's latest Q&A](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6366920/2025/05/20/inside-newcastle-isak-trafford-longstaff-delap/), Newcastle are cruising to victory with time running out, then the youngster may get to step onto the St James' Park pitch for his debut.
Waugh actually believes we could see Alexander Isak start this game as Eddie Howe weighs up the risk versus reward, as simply having him back in the side could be a big enough psychological boost to get Newcastle over the line.
Is it worth risking Alexander Isak on Sunday?
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It almost feels like we're strapping Isak to the front of the truck to do a ram raid, as it's risking a potential big injury for the poor fella.
Obviously it's the last game of the season so he has plenty of time to recover, but there's a long-term risk that goes along with playing someone with a niggle. What if that niggle turns into something that requires surgery and he's never the same again?
Champions League football is lucrative, for sure, but is it worth the career of one of the best forwards in world football?
That's all the worst-case scenario, obviously, and we have full faith that if Isak plays on Sunday, it will be after having been fully assessed by the medical staff, who will have given their assurances that he is fit enough to play. After all, injuries happen when players are fully fit, so it could be worth the risk.