Newcastle United players have officially returned to Darsley Park ahead of their busy pre-season schedule, and a forgotten player has been spotted after being loaned out for the last two seasons.
The 2025/26 season is upon us, and many players have made a triumphant return to training after some well-deserved time off.
Newcastle United qualified for the Champions League on the final day of the Premier League season despite losing to Everton at St James’ Park. Bruno Guimaraes called for transfers at full time, but there are no new additions as of yet.
However, Newcastle are set to sign Anthony Elanga for £55million in the next couple of days, so Eddie Howe will soon have a new face on the training ground. It is a nice reunion for some players who have not seen each other for months. The likes of Joelinton, Sven Botman and William Osula were the big names returning to training on Monday, while the likes of Sandro Tonali and Guimaraes will be back in training slightly later because of their international duty at the end of the season.
In the meantime, several other faces were seen returning to the training ground. Some academy prospects, and even a player who many fans will have completely forgotten about. However, it could be his last pre-season with the club, as Howe is looking to sell him this summer.
Harrison Ashby spotted in Newcastle United pre-season training
Unfortunately, Harrison Ashby has not had the impact he was hoping for on Tyneside after signing from West Ham United in 2023.
The right-back joined the club with a lot of promise, having made his Premier League debut during the 2021/22 season. However, it has not worked out as of yet on Tyneside.
Ashby spent the last season on loan at QPR, but it now looks like his time on Tyneside will soon be over. Newcastle paid around £3m for Ashby, a hefty fee for someone of his experience, and it is now clear that the Magpies will likely not get their money back for him.
While Newcastle are expected to sell Ashby this summer, he was spotted walking on the training pitch at Darsley Park when the players returned for pre-season training. The Magpies’ No.30 may have the opportunity to show why he should be in with a shout of playing during pre-season, but Howe may just look to find another move for him.
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Alex Murphy also spotted in Newcastle United pre-season training
There was no sign of players like Isaac Hayden, who has been told to find a new club this summer. Hayden spent the second half of last season at Portsmouth on loan, but it is understood that his wage bill is causing problems.
Elsewhere, academy graduate Alex Murphy has been spotted in some training pictures at Darsley Park. The young defender spent the final few months of the season out on loan at Bolton Wanderers after asking Howe for a chance to play more consistent first-team football.
Howe told Murphy to impress him on loan at Bolton to be in with a shot of playing more minutes in the Premier League next season. His time with the Trotters was met with as much criticism as there was praise. He scored a couple of goals and impressed defensively, but he was also berated by Bolton fans for some of his performances.
With Murphy back in Newcastle for pre-season, it is very likely that he will be a big part of the friendlies and could even be in with a shot of being a consistent name in the matchday squad.
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