Newcastle United have jetted off to Singapore ahead of a pre-season friendly against Arsenal. There are several young players expected to be part of Eddie Howe’s squad.
Following a humbling 4-0 loss to Celtic, the Magpies must deliver against one of their Premier League rivals next season.
Newcastle United play Arsenal in their first of three games in their tour of Asia, with games against a K-League XI and Tottenham Hotspur in the pipeline.
In his post-match interview, Howe admitted that the Celtic game came a bit too early for his side, who had been enjoying white water rafting in Austria just a few days before. Training has no doubt been more intense since the game, with Howe eager to get his players in shape ahead of a busy 2025/26 campaign.
Alexander Isak will not be involved against Arsenal after his shock request to leave Newcastle, but new signing Anthony Elanga is also likely to feature. Elsewhere, Howe is expected to bring several young players to Asia with him.
With Newcastle hoping for a better result than Celtic, we look at which young players are in with a shot of playing against Arsenal on Sunday.
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Newcastle United academy players in with a chance of playing against Arsenal
Newcastle’s loss to Celtic saw Howe choose to play a few young players, but he mainly opted for a more experienced squad for the pre-season test in Glasgow.
The trip to Singapore could spell different fortune for Newcastle’s academy stars against an Arsenal side, which will also surely have a lot of youth in their squad.
Young players like Alex Murphy, Joe White and Sean Neave played against Celtic, and there is now a complete list of prospects who could be in with a chance of minutes against Premier League opposition.
Those players are:
- Travis Hernes
- Anthony Munda
- Sean Neave
- Seung-soo Park
- Harrison Ashby
- Max Thompson
- Alex Murphy
- Alfie Harrison
Hernes, who has been described as ‘technically skilled‘, came off the bench against Celtic and held his own against the Hoops. Elsewhere, Munda was named on the bench against Celtic but did not make an appearance.
Elsewhere, Seung-soo Park was not named in Newcastle’s squad for the Asia tour, but has since been seen walking alongside Bruno Guimaraes in Singapore.
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Travis Hernes was subject to discipline away from Newcastle United
Hernes looks like he will have a bright future in football, but he was given a stern reality check while out on loan last season.
The 19-year-old was sent to Aalborg BK in January, where he was given the opportunity to play regular first-team football in Denmark’s top league. However, Hernes was caught on a night out with teammates and was forced to apologise following a disciplinary process.
It is a brutal lesson at an early stage in his career, but one he will surely remember for many years to come.
There appears to be a lot of promise around Hernes. He joined the Magpies from Shrewsbury Town in 2023 and has quietly made a name for himself on Tyneside. Hernes was part of the Newcastle Under-19s squad that played the likes of PSG and AC Milan in the UEFA Youth League during the 2023/24 season.
The youngster could be involved in the competition next season as he still meets the age requirements.
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