Newcastle United training: Eddie Howe has called up several Newcastle youngsters to first-team training for the start of pre-season this week.
Newcastle United have returned for pre-season training this week and are preparing for their opening friendly match against Darlington.
The Magpies host Steve Watson’s National League North side on Saturday in a behind-closed-doors friendly at The KNOX.
Eddie Howe’s side will be without the likes of Bazoumana Toure, Dan Burn, Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Elanga, Yoane Wissa, Nick Woltemade and Malick Thiaw due to their respective involvements in the 2026 World Cup. As a result, Newcastle’s squad will be supplemented by several Under-21s players during the opening weeks of pre-season.
Ivory Coast's forward #24 Bazoumana Toure (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
Ivory Coast's forward #24 Bazoumana Toure (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Familiar faces such as Sean Neave, Leo Shahar and Alex Murphy remain involved with the first-team set-up, having all featured for Newcastle in the Champions League last season. The trio will be given opportunities in pre-season before a decision is made on whether they are loaned out.
18-year-old new signing Sean Steur is set to play a first-team role this season following his £23million move from Ajax and has already caught the eye on the training ground.
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Trevan Sanusi
Trevan Sanusi was also spotted back on the training ground with the first team after a frustrating loan spell at Lorient last season. The 19-year-old winger joined Lorient on loan for the 2025/26 season but made just two competitive appearances during an injury-hit campaign.
Sanusi came off the bench to grab a goal and an assist in a 7-0 Coupe de France win over AS Gosier last December before making what would be his first and only start in a 3-1 win over Hauts Lyonnais in the following round back in January.
The teenager was named on the bench on a few occasions in Ligue 1 fixtures but never got on the pitch before suffering another injury setback.
At 19, Sanusi is entering an important stage of his development and has already got that difficult first loan spell out of the way as he looks to impress over the summer and heading into the 2026/27 campaign.
Park Seung-soo
19-year-old Park Seung-soo impressed for Newcastle last pre-season following his arrival from South Korean side Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Despite catching the eye at first-team level last summer, Seung-soo is yet to make his competitive debut for the club.
He has been training this week and is another who will be given an opportunity in pre-season as the club decides the next step in his career.
Theo Ferreira
17-year-old Theo Ferreira signed his first professional deal at Newcastle last summer and has caught the eye since stepping into the Under-21s side. The winger scored a hat-trick in the 4-3 Premier League 2 win over Aston Villa Under-21s last season and also found the net in a 3-1 win over Manchester United Under-21s.
Ferreira will be allowed to continue progressing at Under-21s level this coming season with the hope that a summer stint training with the first team will aid his development.
Anthony Munda
Anthony Munda, 19, is no stranger to working with Newcastle’s first-team have featured for Eddie Howe’s side in a 2-0 friendly win at Hull City two years ago.
The midfielder is back training with the first team following the sale of Sandro Tonali and the absence of Bruno Guimaraes. But Munda has already spoken openly about his intentions to go out on loan this coming season.
“I feel like, for me, that's the next step (a loan move) that I need to take,” he told The Gazette in April. “Obviously, I’ve played quite a lot of under-21s football, so the step from the under-21s to first-team football is quite a big jump.
“But I feel like now I'm in a place where I'm ready to do so and, hopefully, next season we'll see what comes. I feel like I'm in a good place right now, just trying to take it game by game, but obviously my aim is to play first-team football. I feel like now I'm ready to take that push but I can only control what I control right now - and that's by playing games as best as I can.”
Dylan Charlton
20-year-old defender Dylan Charlton has also featured for Newcastle previously in friendly matches but has not played in a competitive game. With limited options for Newcastle at full-back following the departures of Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth and Matt Targett as well as injuries to Tino Livramento and Lewis Miley, Charlton has been given the nod to help cover the position in training.
He is another player who will be keen to secure a loan move and his first taste of regular senior football this summer.
First team pathway?
Newcastle’s pathway from the academy to the first-team has been exemplified by Lewis Miley’s involvement since the age of 17. The now 20-year-old has made 80 competitive appearances for Newcastle and has proven himself a key part of Howe’s side.
But after that, first-team opportunities have been limited for Under-21s players. Alex Murphy has been around the first-team squad for the past few seasons but has been limited to just eight appearances and one start.
Shahar and Neave have been limited to one and two competitive first-team substitute appearances respectively. Sanusi has also only featured once as a substitute in a competitive match, but that is the extent of senior appearances for players who have progressed through the academy.
While Howe insists there is a pathway for young players to break into the first-team, he is only willing to hand opportunities when the time is right.
“I'm a big believer in the development through coaching and then of course they need opportunity ultimately,” Howe said on academy players.
“But from my side I can only give opportunities to players that I think are good enough. And it's raising the level of the player. It's of course a long-term project there.”
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