Newcastle United were well beaten by Celtic in the inaugural Adidas Trophy at Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon, but one young player turned heads despite the result.
It is a day to forget for the Magpies, despite the event being an exciting one for all involved.
Newcastle United were taking on fellow Champions League rivals Celtic for the first time in almost 20 years, but it ended up being a disaster for Eddie Howe’s side.
Celtic beat Newcastle 4-0 in Glasgow, with two separate XIs conceding two goals in either half. The defeat was the debut of Anthony Elanga, who was unable to work his magic after signing earlier in the month, and there was also a triumphant return for Jamaal Lascelles, who has not featured for the first team since March last year.
It is back to the drawing board for Newcastle, who were without key players like Joelinton and Alexander Isak, but something must change ahead of games in Singapore and South Korea.
Several young players made appearances for Newcastle in the defeat, including one player who turned heads with his performance.
- Newcastle United pre-season tour 2025: Destination, fixtures, tickets, how to watch and more as Toon face Arsenal
Alex Murphy impresses for Newcastle United despite Celtic loss
Last season, young defender Alex Murphy told Howe he wanted to go out on loan to be in with a chance of playing first-team football next season. He was sent to League One side Bolton Wanderers, where things were far from easy.
However, he got the football he was looking for and has now been rewarded with an appearance at Celtic Park.
Even though he was not able to keep a clean sheet when he came on, Murphy looked really bright for the Magpies and worked hard to try and help Newcastle claw their way back from the deficit. Murphy wants to play Premier League football next season, and if he plays like that throughout pre-season, he will definitely be in with a chance.
| Statistics vs Celtic | Alex Murphy |
| Minutes | 45 |
| Passes completed | 22/25 (88%) |
| Times fouled | 2 |
| Chances created | 1 |
The 20-year-old appeared to have a good natural chemistry with Anthony Gordon, another player who came on in the second half.
Lewis Hall’s injury could be a ticket to Alex Murphy playing for Newcastle United
Murphy will be hoping for more opportunities to impress in pre-season; he has five more games he can play in, so he will likely feature again.
Lewis Hall will likely be Howe’s first-choice left-back next season, but it remains to be seen what Matt Targett’s role at Newcastle will be next season. The defender is for sale this summer, so he could be moved on, leaving a space for Murphy to step into.
Additionally, Hall is not due back to full fitness until the end of pre-season, so if Targett were to leave and Hall is not fully fit, Howe could easily look to Murphy for the game away at Aston Villa at the start of next season.
Newcastle will need to put in a much better performance if they want to make a success of pre-season, and retain their Sela Cup title when Atletico Madrid come to St James’ Park – Murphy will also surely be raring to go for the next five games.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
