When Harrison Ashby was presented to the crowd at St James’ Park alongside fellow new signing Anthony Gordon in January 2023, it looked like the start of an exciting new chapter in his career.
He had just signed from West Ham United for £3m and was being hailed as Kieran Trippier’s long-term successor.
Fast forward three years, and 24-year-old Ashby has just joined Luton Town on a season-long loan. He is expected to leave Newcastle United on a free when his contract expires next year, without making a single competitive appearance for the first team.
So where did it all go wrong?
Reason One: Injuries
Ashby’s time on Tyneside has been marred by injuries.
Just after signing, he suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for a month.
He went out on loan to Swansea in August 2023 and started off well, scoring his first goal in a 2-1 loss at Preston North End.
Then he suffered a hamstring injury in November and returned to Newcastle for treatment, before resuming his loan in January 2024.
Just a couple of weeks later, he suffered a muscle injury that kept him out for three months, effectively ending his season.
But it didn’t end there. His injury curse struck again last season.
He suffered a thigh injury in September 2025 that kept him out for just over two months – right around the time when both Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento were out.
Even when he was fit, Eddie Howe didn’t call him up, preferring to play Lewis Miley at right-back instead.
Reason Two: Competition for Places
While Ashby struggled with injuries, Newcastle signed Tino Livramento from Southampton in August 2023, and he quickly established himself at right-back, blocking Ashby’s path to the first team.
The return of Emil Krafth from a long-term knee injury pushed Ashby further down the pecking order, with Howe preferring Krafth’s experience over the relatively untested Ashby.
He has been named on the bench for some matches but never made on to the pitch.
The only times he did play were in friendly fixtures, including a pre-season game at Ibrox against Rangers, where he scored the winner. Thanks to his injuries and loans, he only played eight times for the Newcastle United Under-21s, scoring one goal.
Reason Three: Unproductive Loan Spells
Ashby spent most of his Newcastle career on loan, trying to get game time. As well as Swansea, he spent time at Queens Park Rangers and Bradford City.
He had a few decent performances, showing flashes of what his talent, but ultimately he struggled.
His nadir came in January 2025, during his loan at QPR. The Hoops were beaten 6-2 by Leicester City in an FA Cup tie, and he was at fault for three of their goals, with two defensive errors and a handball that gave Leicester a penalty.
Things didn’t improve. Ashby was dropped to the bench for QPR’s league game against Plymouth the following week but came on in the 75th minute, only to be hooked for Jack Colback in the 90th minute.
He went on loan to Bradford in January this year but didn’t fare any better. He made just eight appearances for the Bantams and didn’t feature in either leg of their play-off semi-final.
Unfortunately, a combination of injuries and a lack of confidence affected his form and wrecked any chance he had of progressing at Newcastle.
Hopefully a decent season at Luton will allow him to close this chapter, and go on to have a decent career elsewhere.
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Caroline Dowse
Caroline is the Newcastle United writer for Vital Football. She has a BA in English with Creative Writing from University Centre Peterborough, and a year's sports writing experience. Her favourite current Newcastle player is Bruno Guimaraes, favourite of all time is Alan Shearer. Her best Toon moment was the Carabao…