19-year-old Newcastle youngster has gone to Dubai for first-team training, he can be like Sven Botman

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Eddie Howe has taken his Newcastle United players to Dubai during the international break, including one man who has only made one appearance for the Magpies.

Newcastle United have travelled to the Middle East for some warm weather training, as they prepare for the final 10 Premier League games of the season. It is a crucial period, with the Magpies needing to qualify for Europe to save their season.

This time in Dubai will be incredibly important, as Eddie Howe looks to focus minds following the FA Cup exit on Saturday. It is a private camp, with no media present to see what the staff and players are up to.

But the Shields Gazette have provided details on a couple of players who have made the long journey, one of which is Alex Murphy.

Alex Murphy goes to Dubai with Newcastle United first-team

According to the Shields Gazette, Alex Murphy is part of the Newcastle United group that has travelled to Dubai for this mid-season training camp. They add that Joe White is also there.

For Murphy, it is another chance to prove that he can eventually make the step up and become a Premier League regular for the Magpies. He made his debut earlier this season, coming off the bench during a 4-1 win over Chelsea in November.

The 19-year-old joined the club in 2022, but appears to have made a major impression behind the scenes. He has spent a lot of time training with the first-team, while he has even been likened to Sven Botman. It has been reported that Toon officials believe Murphy has similar attributes to the Dutchman, which is a huge compliment – even though he is struggling in black and white right now.

It is a huge show of faith from Howe to take him on this trip, and it will be interesting to see if it results in him making any more appearances this season. As well as one one cameo off the bench, the Irish defender has been named as a substitute on 11 occasions. However, he has not been in Newcastle’s matchday squad since the FA Cup win over Fulham.