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Who is Sean Neave? The Newcastle United prodigy knocking on Eddie Howe’s door

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Sean Neave is a young footballer who appears destined for big things at Newcastle United.

Newcastle United have a proud history of bringing local lads up through the academy and them becoming mainstays in the first-team.

Lewis Miley is the latest example, following in the footsteps of the recently sold Sean Longstaff, Andy Carroll and Paul Gascoigne.

Now, Sean Neave is hoping to become the latest Geordie to make his mark at St. James’ Park.

He’s been around the first-team for a while and will likely get a chance to shine and impress Eddie Howe during pre-season.

Here’s what you need to know.

Sean Neave arrives at St James' Park ahead of Newcastle United vs Brentford in the Premier League.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images

Who is Sean Neave?

Sean Thoms Neave is the most exciting prospect emerging from the Newcastle academy and is on the verge of the first team.

Neave joined Newcastle’s youth ranks at a preposterously young age and has fought his way up to Howe’s first team squad.

He was a prolific scorer for the Under-18s, with 21 goals in 37 games, and scored on his debut for the Under-21s.

However, Neave’s talent has seen him all but skip that age level to link up with the seniors and has been an unused substitute nine times, including for the Carabao Cup triumph over Liverpool.

Neave made his first appearance in the defeat to Celtic in pre-season and looks set to play a bigger role in the season ahead.

What position does Sean Neave play?

Neave is a centre-forward who enjoys leading the line, playing off the centre-backs’ shoulders and smashing the ball into the back of the net.

However, he is a versatile attacker and played as a No.10 and both flanks in the past.

Sean Neave Newcastle United contract

Neave signed a new contract with the club in June 2025 to tie him down for years to come.

Academy Director Steve Harper told Newcastle’s official site: “Sean, Leo and Trevan have shown great promise and we’re delighted to see them continue their journey with us.

“Each of them has shown great commitment and potential, and we look forward to supporting their development as they take the next steps in their careers.”

How old is Sean Neave?

Neave was born on May 27, 2007, in none other than Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

As of July 2025, he is 18 years old and has all his career ahead of him.

Sean Neave stats

Neave’s career stats for club and country so far.

TeamGamesGoalsAssistsYellow cardsRed cards
Newcastle United00000
Newcastle United U18s3721740
Newcastle United U19s51100
Newcastle United U21s104200
England U17s20000
England U18s20000

Sean Neave Newcastle United squad number

Neave was assigned the No.78 shirt in the 2024-25 season at St. James’ Park.

However, it appears he has been moved down to No.62, which he wore in his appearance against Celtic in pre-season.

Sean Neave Instagram account

Neave has an official Instagram account with over 8k followers that you can find @seanneavee.

He does not appear to have an X, formerly Twitter, account.

Praise for Sean Neave

Upon his inclusion in first-team training, Howe was asked about Neave in a press conference and said: “He’s a goalscorer.

“In training and practice games, he’ll pop up with a goal, which is a great skill to have. He’s doing very well.

“He’s very young and I need reminding of that sometimes because he is competing on an even field technically.”

Diarmuid O’Carroll, Newcastle’s under-21s coach, told The Athletic: “Now we’re talking about competing with Alexander Isak in training.

“He’s essentially skipped out the under-21s, which a lot of players do when they’re destined for good things.

“In six months Sean’s gone from being an under-18 to competing day in, day out with a world-class striker. It’s unbelievable, really.”