A Newcastle United player has been spotted in Singapore with the squad ahead of their tour of Asia, despite not being named in the travelling squad.
With the 2025/26 season on the way, the Magpies are putting the work in to ensure they are as prepared as they can be.
Newcastle United have a busy pre-season schedule on their hands, and are set to play their second game in front of a crowd since returning against Arsenal on Sunday. Newcastle beat Carlisle in a behind-closed-doors friendly two weeks ago, but were dealt a stern reality check when Celtic beat them 4-0 in Glasgow.
Eddie Howe will be eager to set the record straight on Sunday, but will need to do it without star striker Alexander Isak. The club confirmed that Isak was not in the squad for the Asia tour this summer due to a thigh injury. However, news emerged that Isak had requested to leave Newcastle, dealing a major blow to Howe, the fans, and PIF.
Isak’s future is still uncertain, and while he does not look set to link up with the squad, another player has quietly travelled with the players named in the squad and could even feature in one of the games during the tour.
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Seung-soo Park travels to Asia with Newcastle United
On Thursday, Newcastle announced the signing of Seung-soo Park, an 18-year-old South Korean winger from K-League 2 side Suwon Bluewings.
Park had trials at Bayern Munich in 2024, but finally made his move to Europe earlier this week when he was confirmed as a Magpie. In the loss to Celtic, Park was spotted in the stands alongside Jack Ross having completed his medical. Now, it looks like the winger could be thrown straight into the deep and get some minutes with the first team.
On a video, posted to the club’s YouTube channel, Park can be seen walking and talking with club captain Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian appears to be welcoming him to the club, giving him a friendly pat on the back.
Reports before he signed suggested Park would be loaned out for his first season at Newcastle, but it now looks like he will stay at the club so he can achieve club-trained status and help the Magpies with their European registration later down the line.
When Seung-soo Park could first play for Newcastle United
Park will likely be a part of Newcastle’s academy next season, playing for the Under-18s or Under-21s. The 18-year-old is also a little part of history on Tyneside, with Park being the second South Korean Newcastle player, following in Ki Sung-Yeung’s footsteps.
With Park in the squad, many will back him to feature after being named on the Asia tour. While he could play against Arsenal on Sunday, it is unlikely he will. Instead, Howe could look for him to get up to speed with the club’s tactics and give him a runout during the two games in South Korea.
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There will surely be more eyes on Newcastle if he plays in his home country, so a substitute appearance against one of a K-League XI or Tottenham Hotspur could be in the offing.
Elsewhere, there are several young Newcastle players who could feature against Arsenal, including Travis Hernes and Anthony Munda.
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