The 13 Newcastle United players who must impress Eddie Howe in Portugal – five that already have
Newcastle United’s squad are currently out in Portugal for their second tour of pre-season.
Newcastle will face Benfica at Estadio da Luz on Tuesday night (8pm kick-off) for what is set to be their toughest test of pre-season so far.
In total, 24 players were involved in the training matches against Burnley on Saturday including Matty Bondswell and Santiago Munoz.
Under-21s players Jay Turner-Cooke and Alex Murphy have also made the journey to Portugal but aren’t expected to feature.
In terms of first team players, Martin Dubravka, Chris Wood, Jamal Lewis, Fabian Schar, Federico Fernandez and Kell Watts all missed the training session with Burnley and it remains to be seen whether they will be involved against Benfica on Tuesday night.
Several players are facing uncertain futures at Newcastle this summer and will be keen to impress while away this pre-season.
For others, it’s about securing a place in the starting line-up for the opening day of the Premier League season against Nottingham Forest on August 6.
Every player will want to make an impact in pre-season ahead of an important campaign for Newcastle. But there are some whose future or place in the side could be dictated by the impact they make this July.
After facing Benfica, The Magpies will return to the North East to host Atalanta and Athletic Bilbao at St James’s Park on July 29 and July 30 respectively.
1. Martin Dubravka - a point to prove
The arrival of Nick Pope puts Dubravka’s starting position in the Newcastle side under serious threat for the first time. Hasn’t had much to do so far in pre-season and didn’t feature against Burnley on Saturday. He will have to make an impact in these final few matches in order to be in with a chance of starting on the opening day.
2. Nick Pope - a point to prove
Just as it is an important pre-season for Dubravka, Pope will also be wanting to impress in order to make sure that it is him in between the sticks for the Nottingham Forest match. He is probably just edging it in pre-season so far but will have to keep his levels consistent. Photo: GEOFF CADDICK
3. Ryan Fraser - a point to prove
Faces competition in the wide positions with further additions targeted in the transfer market. Fraser will have to prove his worth to Howe over the next week.
4. Jacob Murphy - a point to prove
As with Fraser, Murphy’s place in the team is far from guaranteed heading into the new season. A goal against Burnley on Saturday was a boost.