Newcastle United wonderkid Sam Alabi is part of the Magpies’ squad to face Marseille in the Champions League.
Eddie Howe has the opportunity to give youth a chance on Tuesday night, as Newcastle United take on Marseille at the Stade Velodrome.
Dan Burn features in Geordie Boot Boys’ predicted Newcastle United starting XI, as they aim to make it four consecutive Champions League wins.
They could also make history, with Sam Alabi poised to become Newcastle’s youngest European player ever if he features against Marseille. The 16-year-old has trained with the Magpies in France ahead of the game, and will be desperate to make his senior Toon debut.
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Sam Alabi has three Newcastle United stars ahead of him
It would be great to see Alabi make his first Newcastle United appearance against Marseille, but it would come as a major surprise.
The key issue is that the Toon wonderkid will have three senior players ahead of him waiting to feature as well.
The expectation is that Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton will start in midfield, which leaves Lewis Miley, Joe Willock and Jacob Ramsey in reserve.
Out of that trio, only Willock featured in Newcastle’s win over Manchester City. He came on as a second half substitute, helping the Magpies get over the line and pick up a valuable three points.
Given the wealth of options Howe has in midfield, it feels unlikely that he will turn to Alabi. Howe will want to give his senior stars minutes, while he has never played youngsters just for the sake of it.
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Experience is vital for Sam Alabi
Whether he features or not, this experience of being with the first-team squad for a Champions League away game is massively important for Alabi.
It is a show of faith too, with Howe trusting the teenage midfielder to be in this kind of environment.
Expectations are high for Alabi, with the hope being that he will blossom from the Newcastle United academy into a first-team star at St James’ Park.
This experience is part of this journey, which started at the age of 15 when he was first called up to train with Eddie Howe and the first-team.
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