Newcastle United youngster Sean Neave in pre-season action against Strasbourg (Image: Andy Commins/PA Wire)
Newcastle United youngster Sean Neave in pre-season action against Strasbourg (Image: Andy Commins/PA Wire)
A COUPLE of Newcastle United’s youngsters could get a chance to feature in the Carabao Cup tomorrow – but Matthias Jaissle admits their prospects for the rest of the season will be affected by what happens in the final week of the transfer window.
Newcastle kick off their League Cup campaign with a second-round home game against West Brom, with Jaissle expected to make changes with at least half-an-eye on Saturday’s Premier League game at Tottenham.
Having been an unused substitute in last weekend’s league opener against Liverpool, Leo Shahar could start at right-back tomorrow to avoid new signing Amar Dedic having to play three games in the space of seven days. Shahar was left out of the Newcastle Under-21s squad for Monday’s Premier League 2 defeat to Spurs, suggesting he could be involved for the first team against West Brom.
Sean Neave and Miodrag Pivas were both withdrawn at the half-time break of the Under-21s game, which could also hint at their potential involvement in the squad for tomorrow’s Carabao Cup opener.
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During his time in charge of Red Bull Salzburg and Al-Ahli, Jaissle developed a reputation for developing and trusting young players, and Newcastle’s transfer policy this summer has been heavily titled towards the recruitment of a much younger cohort of players.
What that means for the existing academy group remains to be seen, with Jaissle admitting that Newcastle’s business in the final few days of the transfer window could have a major impact on his decision-making over whether to keep the likes of Shahar and Neave as potential first-team options this season or send them out on loan in order to improve their chances of securing more regular first-team football.
“As much as possible, I want to see the young lads, the young talents, because then you get a good feeling in terms of how they develop, if they are getting closer towards the first team,” said Jaissle, who domestic silverware in both Austria and Saudi Arabia prior to moving to Tyneside.
“Then, maybe they are also getting closer towards their first minutes in the Premier League. But what happens next is also affected by what happens in the transfer market.
“It’s always a bit of a balance. They can train with us, but then on the other hand, they also need to get game time to develop. We need to be smart with the decision-making towards the end of the transfer window.”