Eddie Howe says one Newcastle United youngster has impressed him just as much as Seung-soo Park

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Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has named two young stars who have impressed him in pre-season and could feature in Friday night’s friendly against Espanyol at St James’ Park.

With the Magpies failing to win any of their pre-season games up to now, fans will be hoping that there is a change of fortune when Newcastle United return to St James’ Park later today for a friendly clash against La Liga side Espanyol.

The game comes before a highly anticipated Sela Cup clash against Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, who Newcastle could face in the Champions League next season. The focus for now is on welcoming Espanyol, who will not be easy opponents despite their low finish in La Liga last season.

Eddie Howe will likely play a second-string squad for Friday’s game before putting out a stronger team full of first-team players for the Atleti fixture. That opens the door for 18-year-old Seung-soo Park to make his St James’ Park debut after putting on a show in games against Team K-League and Tottenham Hotspur.

With a big test under the lights coming up, Howe has named another player who has made a big impact alongside the South Korean star.

• READ MORE – How to watch Newcastle United vs Espanyol: TV channel and live stream for pre-season friendly

Travis Hernes gets Eddie Howe’s backing after impressing during pre-season

With more and more young players coming through the door on Tyneside, Howe has been given the opportunity to experiment with his squads throughout pre-season and play some of the more promising stars.

Sean Neave has been given a shot in pre-season, while the likes of Trevan Sanusi and Alex Murphy getting a runout in Asia. Another player given an opportunity was 19-year-old midfielder Travis Hernes, who joined Newcastle from Shrewsbury Town in 2023.

Hernes spent the start of 2025 on loan in Denmark, but has since returned to Tyneside and is beginning to make a name for himself, so much so that he has garnered praise from Howe ahead of Friday’s friendly.

“Of course, and every player that steps on to the pitch has that opportunity (to impress),” Howe told the Chronicle.

“Travis Hernes is another who came on against Spurs – and I was really pleased with him.

“You are looking for somebody to grab their opportunity and force their way into the squad.”

Travis Hernes could be in for a surprise Premier League call-up at Newcastle United

While Howe’s praise is one thing, sometimes a little bit of luck is needed to finally get a chance to shine in the first team.

That appears to have been the case for Hernes, who has moved further up the pecking order at Newcastle due to Joe Willock’s latest injury problem.

Willock is set to miss up to six weeks of action due to a calf injury sustained during the defeat to Team K-League. The 25-year-old is due back in early September, so Hernes has a month to prove that he is ready to be a part of the first team on a regular basis.

Hernes was immediately pushed up the pecking order following Sean Longstaff’s move to Leeds, and will remain in a good position until a replacement for the Newcastle academy graduate is found.