£3m defender issues farewell message ahead of Newcastle United summer move

Newcastle United defender Harrison Ashby has bid farewell to Swansea City following the end of his season-long loan spell.

The 22-year-old right-back joined the Swans last summer but was limited to just 16 appearances due to injury, scoring once. A muscular injury ended Ashby’s season prematurely with his last competitive appearance coming in January after a brief return to the side.

By the end of the campaign, the defender had played just two of Swansea’s final 29 Championship matches.

Ashby joined Newcastle from West Ham United last January for £3million. He featured for The Magpies in pre-season last summer, scoring in a 2-1 win at Rangers but is still waiting to make his competitive debut for the club.

Following the end of Swansea’s Championship season which saw them finish 14th, Ashby took to Instagram to issue a farewell message: “A big thank you to everyone involved at @swansofficial, a club filled with incredible people, people who I’ve made friends for life and an unbelievable fan base, want to wish them the best of luck for the future.”

Ashby will be assessed on his return to Newcastle before a decision is made on his future. The 22-year-old returns behind Kieran Trippier, Tino Livramento and Emil Krafth in the right-back pecking order.

Despite his loan spell at Swansea ending, he won’t be able to be involved for Newcastle in the Premier League due to being over the age of 21 and not being named in the club’s 25-man squad for the 2023-24 campaign.