Eddie Howe is continuing to show that Newcastle United’s academy stars will be rewarded for their performances at youth level.

17-year-old forward Sean Neave watched on from the bench as the Magpies squeezed past Birmingham 3-2 in the FA Cup fourth-round, while his Under-21 teammate Trevan Sanusi made his professional debut in the previous round at St. James’ Park against Bromley.

At the club since he was seven years old, Lewis Miley is the obvious standout academy graduate notching Premier League and Champions League starts under his belt at 17. The latest academy player to get a taste of the first team has been recruited post-takeover, and has impressed the coaching staff.

15-year-old handed first-team chance

Newcastle’s commitment to youth development has once again been displayed with England Under-16 international Sam Alabi being given the opportunity to train with the first-team last week.

The 15-year-old signed from Oldham Athletic in 2023 and has impressed with his performances in the Under-18s this season, catching the eye of the coaching staff and being invited to train with the senior squad at Newcastle’s first-team training ground.

The tall and skilful Manchester-born midfielder has made nine appearances in Premier League Under-18 action this season, while also playing a key role in the FA Youth Cup.

His exciting performances have not gone unnoticed by Howe, who has been vocal about his desire to provide young players with a clear pathway to the first team. 

Alabi looks exciting

The future looks bright in black-and-white and Alabi is the latest representation of a rejuvenated youth set-up that has struggled to even keep local talents in recent years.

Tall, strong, very skillful and a great dribbler; Alabi’s play style has been compared to once great midfielder Paul Pogba who shot through the ranks at Manchester United after arriving from Le Havre as a teenager.

Alabi has already represented England at U16 level and is one of several domestic talents we’ve snapped up since new owners came in (Michael Mills from Port Vale, Trevan Sanusi from Birmingham, Leo Shahar from Wolves and Alfie Harrison from Man City)

Hopefully Alabi can follow in Miley’s footsteps and work his way into Howe’s first-team plans over the coming years.