Newcastle United are putting their final preparations together for Wembley before making their way down to the capital looking to right the wrongs of 2023. Internal confidence is high, despite Eddie Howe overseeing a threadbare squad at present.
In recent weeks Howe was welcomed a host of youngsters to his senior training to plug gaps and – just days before the Wembley showpiece – the head coach has recalled a familiar face in 20-year-old Ben Parkinson. At a time where Newcastle’s attacking options are in short supply, the academy graduate could now be in line for a spot in this weekend’s matchday squad.
Parkinson made his Premier League debut last term, emerging from the bench in a defeat at Bournemouth. Since then, the forward has been in fine form for Diarmuid O’Carroll’s under-21 side.
With Parkinson flourishing in the reserve setup on a regular basis, 17-year-old Sean Neave has been tasked with warming the bench for Newcastle of late. The fellow academy star was an unused substitute in Monday’s win over West Ham United.
Parkinson is improving at a rate of knots behind the scenes and is undoubtedly more experienced to make a deserved return to United’s senior side. This, after injury prevented him from departing St James’ Park on loan in January.
“I think I’ve also took a lot of confidence from my rehab and although it came at an unfortunate time, it was possibly the right thing for me and I was trying to take the positives from that,” Parkinson said last month.
“It couldn’t have come at a worse time. I did it on New Years’ Day and the January transfer window was something I was looking forward to, trying to get out and play senior football but that didn’t happen.”
Discussing his selection dilemmas on Friday morning, Eddie Howe said: “Genuinely, whenever I look at a team selection for any game, there’s always decisions to make. That’ll be no different for this game because you’re always looking at the opposition and your own strengths and trying to figure out what players need to go up against certain players.
“So that’s what we’ve done. We don’t have a huge pool of players to select from – that’s pretty obvious. We have a very tight squad and in some senses that can help you in different moments and that can also be a negative.”
Hundreds of fans from all over the globe have been leaving personalised messages for Eddie Howe and his players ahead of the Carabao Cup final. You can send your own message of support here through our Cheer Map
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