Newcastle United Academy Notebook: Winger causes trouble for U21s as goalscorers set for big future
Newcastle United youngster Michael Mills is impressing for the U18s and now the U21s(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
The development of Magpies youngster Michael Mills has sparked interest in United’s academy in recent months – and there was another big moment for the talented winger last week.
A regular in the Magpies Under-18s side, the former Port Vale prospect made his debut for Robbie Stockdale’s Under-21s last month in a 4-3 win at Aston Villa and grabbed his first goal for the second straight in their 3-0 win against Fulham two weeks later.
Mills’ progress has also confirmed his rise to England’s youth ranks after he was called up as a maiden in the Three Lions Under-17s squad recently.
The 17-year-old was named in the eleven alongside United goalkeeper Roman Dowell for the 3-0 win against the Faroe Islands last week before making an appearance in the 3-1 defeat against Israel on Saturday.
Mills and Dowell were both selected as substitutes for Tuesday’s 2-0 win against Estonia and sat on the bench for the entire game.
Both players will return to Tyneside and Mills will be hoping to make another appearance for the Under-21s when Stockdale’s side travel to Manchester United on Friday week.
Speaking recently after Mills grabbed his first Under-21 goal, Stockdale backed the youngster to continue as he told Chronicle Live: “It must be a nightmare to play against and I hate playing against players like that.
“We just need to make sure we put him in the right places because he has the quality to finish.” [MS]
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Design by Roman Dowell
In Roman Dowell and George Mair, Newcastle have 16-year-old goalkeepers who are England youth internationals and are familiar with the club’s under-18 sides, although neither goalkeeper has yet done their GCSEs.
Dowell has been on international duty with the Young Lions for the past week. Mair would have joined him but for the accident.
Newcastle are enjoying their future but how they continue to grow in terms of football will be key.
The man responsible for that development is Newcastle’s academy head of goal Tony Caig, who spoke of the challenge the club have in making sure they get that right.
“The strategy is always consistent,” Caig told Chronicle Live.
“I think there’s a reason we got to this point because they’ve been part of the program and the level of ability and commitment, if it fits the program and they keep going forward, good things will happen and I think that’s kind of where we saw with George and Roman.
“The challenge for them going forward is to continue to improve at the pace they have done so far, so we have to put the right challenge in front of them now.
“So how does that look like going forward when they are with us in a full-time position and that can change every month maybe because you always check how they are progressing, and you often find when they are young, no two days are the same from a training point of view, so also our consistent messages and keeping the standards high and keeping them accountable in a safe way to help them improve that way.
“Then eventually the time will come where their negotiations may come to seek a loan but I don’t know when.
“There is a lot of experience in this building and there are a lot of discussions that will be the right time (18:05) and if it is the right time, what is the right situation, what kind of team, the right goal coach and they are in a good place to go now.
“That is a decision-making process so the two young strikers will have to do this now for 12 to 18 months to two years, and we will assess where they are because to keep goals, technically and technically, they may be good but we need to make sure that mentally they have enough strength to be able to deal with men’s situations, who support the men’s clothing team and expect to pay money. and watching the group.
“There’s an expectation that the providers of the goals will also be things that we will explore as time goes on.” [SM]
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Asian Games respect?
Newcastle United winger Park Seung-soo made an immediate impact at the club after joining from Suwon Bluewings in the summer, impressing for the first team in pre-season.
He has been on the bench twice for the first team this season, impressively for Aston Villa away, and has impressed with United’s under-21s.
So much so that he was called up to South Korea’s under-23 side last week and is on the verge of selection for their squad to compete at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
South Korea is the defending champion and the 19-year-old is on course to help his country win the gold medal in the second consecutive Games.
The games take place between September 19 and October 4, and if selected, the youngster could miss a large part of the start of the 2026/27 season at club level. [SM]
Life after United
A number of Magpies academy prospects will find out their futures in the coming weeks as professional deals are handed out and the reserve list released.
However, one former United teenager has proved there is life after being released by establishing himself as one of the most talented players in League One.
Almost five years have passed since former Magpies Under-21s captain Owen Bailey was let go before joining non-league neighbors Gateshead a few weeks later.
The Geordie midfielder helped Heed win the National League North title in his first season at the International Stadium before playing at Wembley in the FA Trophy final against FC Halifax Town 12 months later.
His form with the Tynesider led to Bailey’s move to the EFL as League Two side Doncaster Rovers won the race for his services – and the former Magpies has become something of a cult hero in Yorkshire.
Bailey has bounced back from injuries that blighted the early years of his career and has been a consistent presence for Rovers, making 92 appearances over two seasons in League Two and helping his side secure promotion to the third tier of English football last season.
Bailey has progressed through the ranks and won his way to 15 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions this season to attract the attention of several Championship clubs.
If any Magpies youngster makes the wrong decision about his future in the coming weeks, he could do worse than look to Bailey for inspiration of what can happen if you have the right attitude. [MS]
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