geordiebootboys.com

Eddie Howe delight as Newcastle United's newest academy star hits the ground running

One of Newcastle United’s new academy stars has scored his first goal for the Magpies a month after being signed up by Steve Harper.

It is no secret that PIF have made a point of improving the academy since the takeover in 2021. Many promising young players are now ditching their boyhood clubs to join Newcastle United and form part of the project for the future.

Newcastle’s academy is now brimming with talented young players who have joined from clubs in England and even further afield. For example, Seung-soo Park joined Newcastle from Suwon Bluewings in South Korea, and was even named on the bench for the Magpies’ Premier League opener against Aston Villa.

While the Under-21s have seen improvements, the Under-18s have had a complete revamp in the last few months, with young talents joining from far and wide.

One player who recently joined is attacker Alfie Hutchison, who is just 16. Hutchison joined Newcastle from Rangers last month, making his debut for the Young Magpies in a 3-0 win against Blackburn’s Under-18s. Now, the Scottish youngster has done one better in his latest appearance.

Steve Harper and Ben Dawson look on during a Premier League 2 match between Newcastle United and Liverpool.

Photo by Harriet Massey/Newcastle United via Getty Images

Alfie Hutchison scores his first goal for Newcastle United Under-18s

Hutchison has already represented Scotland at Under-15 level, so his future is looking very bright.

The attacker is one of several young players who have joined this summer, with defender Oliver Goodbrand also joining from Rangers alongside Hutchison.

In their latest game against Wolves, Hutchison was named in the starting XI, this time as a striker. Head coach Chris Moore’s decision to change his position turned out to be a great one, as Hutchison headed home nine minutes after the hour mark to give Newcastle the lead.

MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES

16-year-old midfielder Sam Alabi then secured all three points for the Young Magpies thanks to his penalty conversion soon after.

The win sees Newcastle’s Under-18s move up to 3rd in the Under-18 Premier League table, but they have three tricky games against Leeds United, Liverpool and Manchester City coming up.

Newcastle United soon to welcome Vakhtang Salia to Tyneside

While Hutchison played as a striker against Wolves, the position change may not be a permanent one. Vakhtang Salia was signed by Newcastle in October 2024, but he has not arrived on Tyneside due to his age.

However, Salia turns 18 in August, so he will finally complete his move to Newcastle on his birthday.

✍️ We have completed a deal to sign highly rated Georgian forward, Vakhtang Salia from Dinamo Tbilisi.

He will officially join the club on his 18th birthday in August and will remain at Dinamo in the meantime.

Welcome to Newcastle United, Vakhtang! 🇬🇪

— Newcastle United (@NUFC) October 29, 2024

View Tweet

Head coach Eddie Howe was impressed with Salia upon meeting him for the first time, praising his attitude. However, the 47-year-old admitted it was unclear what the plan was for his arrival.

Reports in 2024 suggested that Salia could leave Newcastle on loan in a move similar to Antonio Cordero, but fans will not know until there is official confirmation later this month.

Salia would certainly be of use to Newcastle’s academy, but he may also be keen to get up to speed with the professional game.

Read full news in source page