The young Newcastle United stars have started this season where they left off the last one.
A very different scenario compared to what we witnessed over a decade and a half of Mike Ashley.
Actually, I suppose I need to clarify these days what I mean by young Newcastle United stars.
An 18-year-old Sean Steur dominating the midfield in Saturday’s Premier League win over Hull City was of course a great sight.
However, here I am meaning the young young Newcastle United stars, those under the age of 18.
Ahead of Sean Steur and his teammates defeating Hull on Saturday, the United stars of the future had travelled to play at the Academy of Light for an 11am kick-off.
Charlie Robinson, Noah Morgan and sub Theo Benjamin with the goals as the Newcastle United Under 18s hammered Sunderland 3-0 away from home.
For the son of former striker Trevor Benjamin it was especially sweet, as that meant he’d scored three goals against Sunderland in less than a week! Sunderland had hosted Newcastle United in the Under 17s Premier League Cup on Tuesday last week and United hammered them 4-1. Theo Benjamin got two in that victory, with Jack Skelton and Jayden Koussou getting the other goals.
Today’s league win means it is five victories in six for the Newcastle United Under 18s with just one defeat (against Man U) and having scored 19 goals in the half dozen league games.
NUFC are behind only Manchester City in the Premier League North Under 18s table.
Premier League U18 North Table 2026/27 - 21 September 2026
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City U18 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 8 | 18 | 18 |
| 2 | Newcastle United U18 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 15 |
| 3 | Manchester United U18 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 15 | 12 |
| 4 | Nottingham Forest U18 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 10 |
| 5 | Liverpool U18 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 8 |
| 6 | Burnley U18 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 8 |
| 7 | Middlesbrough U18 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 12 | -1 | 8 |
| 8 | Derby County U18 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 7 |
| 9 | Everton U18 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 12 | -1 | 6 |
| 10 | Leeds United U18 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 16 | -8 | 6 |
| 11 | Blackburn Rovers U18 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 20 | -15 | 6 |
| 12 | Stoke City U18 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 18 | -7 | 4 |
| 13 | Leicester City U18 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 11 | -5 | 2 |
| 14 | Sunderland U18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 1 |
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wanderers U18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 18 | -15 | 0 |
Last season it was the two Manchester clubs and Newcastle United who dominated at Under 18 level and looking very likely to turn out the same this season.
These are the league finishes for the Newcastle Under 18s from the most recent previous five seasons:
2021/22 – Newcastle United Under 18s finished 14th of 14 with 17 points.
2022/23 – Newcastle United Under 18s finished 12th of 13 with 24 points
2023/24 – Newcastle United Under 18s finished 8th of 13 with 32 points.
2024/25 – Newcastle United Under 18s finished 5th of 13 with 35 points
2025/26 – Newcastle United Under 18s finished 3rd of 14 with 49 points
The incredible progression is undeniable, investment in youth paying off after a decade and a half of Mike Ashley refusing to allow a single penny to be spent unless forced to.
To cap it all, on Friday we saw FOUR Newcastle United young stars named in the latest England Under 18s squad.
The future at Newcastle United is very bright, exciting times though now at the Newcastle United Academy.
It was always going to be a very long process for these current Newcastle United owners to build a proper professional top level set-up, to support the younger age groups.
However, we are now seeing real green shoots of progress, thanks to the much needed investment in coaching, facilities, scouting and bringing in the very best possible young players both locally and further afield, across the UK and overseas.