Newcastle youth given a chance despite £85m outlay after calling up striker with 17 goals from 17 games

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Newcastle United have certainly spent a lot on incoming transfers already under their new owners, but the youth of the club have not been abandoned yet.

After a January transfer outlay on five new players which cost around £85m, you might expect Newcastle to no longer have room for the academy prospects in their immediate plans of trying to avoid relegation.

However, manager Eddie Howe has shown this is not the case after promoting 18-year-old Michael Ndiweni to train with the senior team.

As can be seen with the image below, Ndiweni was captured training with the first team, prompting hopes that he could earn some playing time in the coming months as he is integrated into the senior squad.

The 18-year-old has scored 17 goals in his last 17 games in all competitions for Newcastle’s Under 18s, including a later winner against Colchester Under 18s in the FA Youth Cup.

If the young striker impresses during his time in the first team, he may be asked to remain with them and could even prove to be a long-term replacement for Callum Wilson, who has struggled with fitness issues since joining the club.

It would save Newcastle a significant amount of money in replacing Wilson, but in all likelihood Newcastle will still go out and invest in the first team due to the abundance of wealth they have after being brought out by a Saudi-backed Public Investment Fund earlier in the season.

However, Ndiweni should be allowed to develop at his own pace before the heavy burden of leading the line for a club of Newcastle’s stature is placed on his shoulders.

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