Newcastle United call-up 16-year-old to Champions League squad - he's been compared to Paul Pogba
Newcastle United have called-up a 16-year-old to the first team squad for the Champions League clash at Marseille.
Newcastle United are back in Champions League action at Marseille on Tuesday evening (8pm kick-off).
The Magpies will be looking to make it four wins in a row in the competition having beaten Union Saint-Gilloise, Benfica and Athletic Club. Eddie Howe’s side head into the match at Stade Velodrome on the back of a 2-1 win over Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday.
Dan Burn, Anthony Gordon and Emil Krafth have been added to the squad in Marseille after missing out over the weekend while Kieran Trippier, Yoane Wissa and William Osula remain out due to injury.
With Jamaal Lascelles, John Ruddy, Mark Gillespie and Harrison Ashby ineligible to feature due to not being named n Newcastle’s Champions League squad, Howe has drafted in a few youngsters from the academy to be named on the bench on Tuesday night.
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Newcastle United call-up 16-year-old to Champions League squad
Goalkeeper Max Thompson and defender Alex Murphy were in the Newcastle squad once again from the academy. But there was a surprise call-up with midfielder Sam Alabi spotted training with the Newcastle first-team at Stade Velodrome ahead of the match.
The 16-year-old has risen through the ranks at Newcastle’s academy after joining from Oldham Athletic two years ago. The teenager has broken into the Under-21s set-up this season and has been capped by England at Under-16 and Under-17 level.
Earlier this year, a popular social media account called Future Ballers shared a video of Alabi in action, drawing comparisons between the young Newcastle midfielder and France World Cup winner Paul Pogba.
Alabi is rated highly behind the scenes at Newcastle and his opportunity working with the first team is a testament to that.
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Eddie Howe looks ahead to Marseille
Newcastle have delivered so far in the Champions League this season but have struggled for consistency in the Premier League as they sit 14th in the table despite Saturday’s impressive win over Manchester City.
While Howe has hinted at some rotation against Marseille, the Newcastle head coach reiterated that there would be no complacency from his side.
“We just want to win the game,” he said. “I don't know about looking too far ahead of that in terms of qualification and rotating the team later in the competition. Of course, if we're able to do that, then great.
“But at the moment, we're still very much in the thick of the Champions League. It's still everything's an option for us. We've just got to try and win each game.
“This will be a very, very difficult game in a testing environment for us. We're looking forward to the challenges that will bring us. Stadium's incredible.
“Really great place to play football. I'm sure the atmosphere will be red hot. So, again, all the things for me are positive. We need to help that make our performance stronger.”
After Marseille, Newcastle travel to Bayer Leverkusen, host PSV Eindhoven and visit Paris Saint-Germain to wrap up their Champions League group phase matches over the next couple of months.
The Magpies will be looking to progress to the knockout stages of the competition for the first time having been knocked out in the group stage in 2023 and 1997 as well as the second group stage in 2003 in their previous campaigns in the competition.
Newcastle United squad v Marseille
Goalkeepers: Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale, Max Thompson
Defenders: Tino Livramento, Emil Krafth, Dan Burn, Malick Thiaw, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, Lewis Hall, Alex Murphy
Midfielders: Joelinton, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, Jacob Ramsey, Joe Willock, Jacob Murphy, Anthony Elanga, Harvey Barnes, Anthony Gordon, Lewis Miley, Sam Alabi