Newcastle United’s academy prospects just keep getting better, with one player showcasing his quality in front of goal right now.
The Magpies have put much more emphasis on becoming an attractive club to join for young players since the PIF became majority stakeholders in 2021, a move which has proven successful so far.
Several prospects have left well-established academies to move to Newcastle United, with players like Alfie Harrison joining from Manchester City and showing his quality for the under-21s this season.
Recently, Paul Mitchell has attracted young players from abroad to Tyneside. Antonio Cordero rejected Real Madrid for Newcastle, he will join the club on a free transfer this summer.
Elsewhere, Newcastle confirmed the signings of Kyle Fitzgerald and Baran Yildiz in the January transfer window. The former has hit the ground running in the North East, scoring five goals in his first eight games.
Now, another new academy signing has shown what he can do in the youth ranks, giving Eddie Howe a lot to think about ahead of the new season.
- READ MORE – Eddie Howe told there’s a Newcastle United academy talent who can score ‘goals’ for fun in the first team
Kacey Wooster finds good form with Newcastle United U-18s
17-year-old Kacey Wooster joined the Magpies from Southport in July 2024 for a fee of around £170k. The striker had been limited to just a few starts and short substitute appearances for most of the season until he found his form at the beginning of February.
Wooster scored a brace against Liverpool U-18s to kick off his impressive goalscoring run, which saw him find the next in his next two games. The youngster failed to score in his next two games against Nottingham Forest and Everton before returning to the bench for games against Stoke City and Sunderland.
However, Wooster came back into the starting XI against Leeds United on Wednesday, scoring a spectacular hat-trick in a 3-3 draw. The goals mean he has scored seven goals in his last six starts, proving that the Mapgies’ youth recruitment is going in the right direction.
In that game, Trevan Sanusi returned from injury. The winger had missed the previous three months of action after picking up an ankle injury.
Elsewhere, there was a first start for 15-year-old Lesecond Yeutembip, who plays as a centre-back.
Kacey Wooster could repeat Sean Neave feat at Newcastle United
Wooster’s impressive form is sure to have been noticed by the likes of Howe and sporting director Paul Mitchell, who is known to attend youth games.
Howe has developed a reputation of giving young players a chance in the first team since taking over as Newcastle manager in 2021. The boss has handed professional debuts to the likes of Lewis Miley and Alex Murphy in recent years.
| Kacey Wooster | 2024/25 Statistics |
| Appearances | 20 |
| Goals | 7 |
| Assists | 2 |
This season has seen the rise of 17-year-old Sean Neave, who has been named on the Magpies’ bench on many occasions in 2025. The Irishman was even named on the bench for Newcastle’s historic Carabao Cup win in March.
Neave scored a hat-trick for Newcastle’s U-18s last October and was promoted to the first team just a few months later.
This could be the start of something special for Wooster and Newcastle if he continues his great run of form.
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