- U15s win second trophy in two weeks
- Newcastle United investment paying off
- Who to watch out for
Newcastle United U15s won their second trophy in two weeks yesterday as they triumphed in the Orange Veins Cup, Rotterdam. They beat PSG on penalties, with goalkeeper Lucas Flack saving the crucial spot-kick.
The victory comes just one week after the academy side won the Premier League International Cup, where they beat Manchester City in the final.
Newcastle’s youngsters are building up quite the trophy cabinet this season and are beginning to turn heads as one of the best teams in academy football at their age group.
Newcastle United building for the future
Since the new owners arrived in 2021, they have made a distinct and conscious effort to invest in the academy.
A recruitment team was put in place early in the regime. The goal being to recruit the best youngsters from around English academies before the big clubs came calling.
This has now been taken even further, with a shift in first-team scouting and recruitment to signing the hottest prospects in world football rather than already established names.
The ownership has approved new roles in the last year, with the club set to appoint an academy recruitment manager. A fresh new batch of scouts is also set to come in to aid the efforts.
Newcastle United fans must be patient
There has been growing concern among the fanbase that we have not yet seen any of the academy investment pay off in the first team.
However, the fans must be patient. The investment has largely been throughout the younger age groups, meaning progression into the first team picture will take longer than a couple of years.
There is an increasingly high percentage of the academy players who are expected to go on to big things in senior football. This was evidenced by some of the excellent performances in the U15s during the recent spell of success.
Who to watch out for
Based on their performances in these tournaments, there are a few names to watch out for in the coming years.
Muawiya Ghanem picked up the player of the tournament award at the Premier League international tournament last week. He scored in the final against Manchester City and played a huge part in the victory.
Once again this time out, Ghanem was on top form. He netted twice during the early stages and also got the goal that took the final to penalties.
Ghanem signed from West Brom last summer after Newcastle beat off some fierce opposition to secure his signature.
Charlie Robinson has also gained attention in the last couple of weeks. He picked up the player of the tournament award at the most recent Orange Veins tournament.
Robinson scored four goals across the competition, including an excellent brace in the semi-final victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach.
In other news, Newcastle Just Made the Right Decision over Kieran Trippier’s Future.
