Newcastle United’s work on improving their academy setup has paid dividends this season thanks to their brilliant recruitment.
After years of neglect under Mike Ashley, it now feels as if there is a pathway to Newcastle United’s first-team squad for young players.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has become accustomed to giving young players a chance in the first team, Lewis Miley is his best example of that. It has been no different this season either, with Howe regularly naming 17-year-old Sean Neave on the bench for Premier League games.
Neave even picked up a Carabao Cup winners’ medal after being named in the squad for the final against Liverpool in March.
Howe gave youngsters Amadou Diallo, Michael Ndiweni and Alex Murphy their Premier League debuts in 2023 during a 4-1 win against Chelsea. Diallo and Ndiweni have both left the club, while Murphy has performed well on loan at Bolton Wanderers while he waits for his chance in the first team.
Newcastle’s academy has come leaps and bounds since the takeover in 2021, with the Magpies poaching prospects from other clubs in England and Europe as well as developing local talents. This season has undoubtedly been the best for the young Magpies thanks to the fine form of players like Alfie Harrison and Cathal Heffernan.
Now, Newcastle’s academy manager has made a big claim about one prospect who he believes would thrive under Howe.
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Eddie Howe urged to play Garang Kuol at Newcastle United
Australian attacker Garang Kuol has had a magnificent season after two loan stints, which spelled disaster for him. He failed to impress at Hearts before barely playing any football at Eredivisie side Voldenam.
Kuol missed the start of the season through injury when it was initially believed he was set to be sent out on loan once again. Reports in January claimed Kuol was set to return to Australia for a loan spell, but a deal never materialised.
The failed loan move looks to have been a blessing in disguise for Newcastle’s under-21s, with Kuol finding exceptional form in the Premier League 2 this season, scoring five goals and bagging four assists.
READ MORE: Who is Garang Kuol? Height, Position, Transfer, Family and More
Howe was told Kuol was ‘too good for academy’ football by Newcastle fans after his impressive performances in the league. Those claims have now been backed up by under-21s boss Diarmuid O’Carroll after the 20-year-old scored twice and bagged two assists in a 7-1 win against Reading at St James’ Park on Monday night.
“I’ve loved working with Garang,” O’Carroll told Newcastle’s official website.
“He’s been a joy for me to work with, and he’s got real quality. He’s got that spark that could go to a very high level.”
“There’s other parts of his game that he can work on and he knows that, but it’s been a big few months for him. He had a tough few years in terms of his loans and moving across the world, but I think he’s coming back to what he can be.
“Once he gets back into a first-team environment, I think you’ll see the goals fly in for him – which would be fantastic.”
Garang Kuol’s first-team involvement at Newcastle United
After joining the club as a raw 18-year-old who had just played in the World Cup, Kuol has done well to develop himself and become accustomed to playing English football.
Even before his form in 2025, Howe recognised that Kuol was talented.
Kuol played for Newcastle in a post-season friendly game against Tottenham Hotspur in Australia, scoring a penalty to help the Magpies win a penalty shootout.
The Australian international did not travel to Japan for their pre-season tour last summer due to his injury, but should be amongst the names included in Newcastle’s trip to Singapore this July.
Kuol trained with Newcastle’s first team last December ahead of a Carabao Cup game against Brentford, but did not play. There is hope that the youngster can continue his impressive run of form until the end of the season to potentially earn himself a spot in the first team next season.
With Newcastle looking to sign a striker, Kuol could save Paul Mitchell the headache and give the club millions to improve another position.
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