Eddie Howe can hand Newcastle United chance to four exciting talents this summer

Newcastle United's pre-season plans are beginning to take shape with an upcoming friendly against Hull City now confirmed before a jaunt over to Japan for two clashes against J League opposition. Eddie Howe will have his players back in at the club's Benton HQ two weeks before that in early July as he prepares to put his returning stars through their paces after a well-earned summer break.

There will have been very little down time for Newcastle's workaholic boss, who will have been in regular communication with the club's ownership over ongoing transfer targets and will have no doubt kept a very close eye on the European Championships in Germany.

Meanwhile, back on the training pitch there is a chance to hand some young prospects their chance to shine once club football returns in the coming weeks. Howe is no stranger to using the summer to give first-team minutes to under-21 and academy stars.

In pre-seasons gone by Newcastle fans have seen the likes of Alex Murphy impress during a trip to America, Harrison Ashby shine before his recent loan spell at Swansea City, Jay Turner-Cooke find the net at Gateshead and Matthew Bondswell look at home against Benfica.

With some first-team stars set to miss the start of pre-season due to international commitments, we take a look at the youngsters Howe should be giving a chance this time around.

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Alfie Harrison

Newcastle's only January signing, Alfie Harrison, has wasted no time impressing in the Magpies' youth setup since his Manchester City exit earlier this year. The 18-year-old featured for both the under-18 and under-21 sides towards the end of last season and is already looking settled in his new surroundings.

Whether he is ready to make the step up to the first-team remains to be seen but club insiders believe he could be a future star at St James' Park. Man City boss, Pep Guardiola, clearly liked what he saw from the youngster before his departure, handing Harrison an opportunity to train with the superstar names in the Etihad dressing room in late 2023.

A versatile attacking midfielder with a wand of a left foot, this summer may be the ideal time to see just far Harrison is from first-team football.

Trevan Sanusi

Another recent signing who is impressing behind the scenes is Trevan Sanusi. Newcastle fended off interest from a number of high-profile suitors last summer to win the race for the 17-year-old as he left Birmingham City.

Sanusi earned a call-up to England Under-17’s last term and was given nine minutes of action during a comfortable win over Hungary. Many believed the young attacker would be handed an appearance or two in Howe's matchday squads towards the end of the 2023/24 campaign before injury issues curtailed his season.

With a clean bill of a health, Sanusi would be a welcomed addition to the first-team for the summer fixtures given the buzz around his abilities behind the scenes on Tyneside.

Leo Shahar

There is also a lot to like about Newcastle right-back Leo Shahar, who continues to make waves for England at youth level. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers full-back was a regular fixture for the Three Lions earlier this summer as they crashed out of the Under-17 European Championships at the quarter-final stage.

Shahar is composed on the ball and dangerous in attacking transitions - perfect for Howe's style of play. Meanwhile, right-back is a precarious position at present, with Kieran Trippier and Harrison Ashby's futures up in the air.

Now could be the perfect time to again hand a young option the chance to see whether he can burst his way further up in the chain ahead of schedule.

Travis Hernes

Newcastle supporters have already been shown a glimpse of young midfield talent Travis Hernes who arrived from Shrewsbury Town on deadline day last summer. The 18-year-old was taken to Australia with the senior side during a post-season trip Down Under and featured in the ill-fated hammering Newcastle suffered against an A-League XI.

Hernes has enjoyed a solid start to life on Tyneside, proving a popular figure in the under-21 side. The teen has been training with the first-team on regular occasions and after seeing him in Australia, it would be exciting to see what he can do in a game where the Magpies are not being stuffed by better and more experienced opposition.

"It's a really good academy and you can see there's a lot of players who are breaking into the first-team and it shows there is a good pathway for the younger lads," Hernes told club media in January.

"I've been training with the first-team and that will only make you better yourself as a footballer when you're going up against that level of player. It's a really good experience to do that and it is important for your development and being able to challenge yourself against them."