Eddie Howe insists that Elliot Anderson and Lewis Miley aren’t the only U21 talents who’ve impressed him over pre-season, namechecking Alex Murphy and Ben Parkinson as two others who’ve done “very well” during our USA tour.
Murphy featured somewhat unexpectedly against Chelsea as Fabian Schar went off with an injury, but the young left-back coped very well with the pressure and didn’t look out of place at all. The former Galway star and Irish youth talent also featured against Brighton, showing good composure once again.
Parkinson – who signed his first pro deal at the club this summer – has made cameo appearances up front and out wide over the past two games, with Howe very happy with the pair’s contributions.
While Miley and Andersen are getting all the plaudits in the media, Howe was keen add how ‘pleased’ he has been with the performances of some of the other youngsters.
Speaking to NUFCTV, the boss expressed how ‘important’ it is to bring young players through because ‘they’ve got Newcastle running in their veins’ and hopes to be able to use them more this season. Here’s what Howe had to say on Murphy and Parkinson:
“Hopefully we can bring some more through in time. Alex Murphy as well did very well in the game yesterday, I was very pleased with his contributions. Ben Parkinson’s down really well with his time with us as well.
“It’s so important that we bring those players through, they don’t cost a transfer fee and they’ve got Newcastle running through their veins. We’d love to introduce them more.”
Here’s what Howe had to say on both Miley and Anderson:
“Looking at pre-season as a whole, I think himself and Elliott Anderson they’ve both done extremely well.
“Pre-season is where you give younger players an opportunity to play in the high profile games and see how they deal with the atmosphere and pressure they’ve done exceptionally well.”
