Newcastle youngster claims he’s been staying behind after training to practice his shooting and crossing

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Newcastle United have focussed heavily on youth recruitment in recent years.

That focus looks to be paying off as Newcastle United’s under-21s are sat in a playoff place in the Premier League 2, winning six of their 12 games so far this season.

There has been a big mentality shift since the takeover in 2021 which saw more youth arrive from other clubs across the United Kingdom. The Magpies have spent big money on young players like Alfie Harrison, who cost around £3m in January 2024.

Sporting director Paul Mitchell has taken their youth recruitment drive up a notch. Mitchell wants Newcastle to recruit youth from overseas in an attempt to find cheaper prospects and beat PSR in the long run.

Newcastle signed Kyle Fitzgerald in January and quietly registered 18-year-old Baran Yildiz for the remainder of the Premier League season after he had made the move from Turkish second-division side Genclerbirligi.

Elsewhere, Newcastle entered pre-contract talks with Antonio Cordero. The 18-year-old has 10 goal involvements in La Liga 2 for Malaga so far this season.

The Magpies have many young prospects at their disposal, but one player has been working hard to impress club staff.

• Who is Antonio Cordero? Meet the exciting Spanish teenager Newcastle United have signed on a free transfer

Johnny Emerson working hard in Newcastle’s academy

19-year-old winger Johnny Emerson has quickly made a name for himself in Newcastle’s under-21s. The youngster has played 11 games so far this season, scoring twice.

Emerson looks to be benefitting from the arrival of Diarmuid O’Carroll earlier this season following Ben Dawson’s departure after 10 years at the club.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has handed debuts to several academy players in recent years including Lewis Miley and Ben Parkinson. He also named young attacker Sean Neave on the bench for Newcastle’s FA Cup win against Birmingham City on Saturday.

In an interview with Newcastle’s website, Emerson revealed he had been taking extra training in his shooting and crossing to further his development.

“It’s something I’ve been working on after training, doing extra shooting or crossing with the coaches,” he said.

“To see it is paying off feels worth it and hopefully I can carry that on and gets me in a better place until the end of the season.

“You’ve got to be selfless for the team but selfish in terms of wanting goals and assists because you want to help the team but striving to be the best player in every game.

“That’s the mentality that I train and play with. That is what Diarmuid (O’Carroll) has instilled into most people but I’ve definitely benefited from that to try and be the best player in everything I do.”

Johnny Emerson could feature for Newcastle this season

By no means is it set in stone, but Emerson is one of many young players who could be called up to Newcastle’s first-team squad before the end of the season.

Emerson can play as a right winger, a position Newcastle are short in after Miguel Almiron joined Atlanta United in the January transfer window.

It left Jacob Murphy as the only out-and-out right-wing option in the squad. William Osula’s performance against Birmingham proved he could also play there, but Howe may look to utilise him as a striker should anything happen to Alexander Isak or Callum Wilson.

There are several Newcastle youngsters out on loan this season including Alex Murphy and Charlie McCarthur. Australian forward Garang Kuol was linked with a loan switch back to Australia but it has not materialised.