Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has perhaps signalled that he’s ready to give a chance to some of the club’s youngsters ahead of the Carabao Cup final.
The Magpies are preparing for a huge game this weekend as they are set to take on Premier League leaders Liverpool at Wembley.
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It’s been 56 years since Newcastle last won a trophy, and they’ll be desperate to make up for that 2-0 Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United two years ago.
So it may come as a bit of a surprise that Howe could now be ready to gamble on a young striker in his team selection.
Ben Parkinson spotted training with Newcastle first-team
According to reports, 20-year-old striker Ben Parkinson has been spotted taking part in NUFC first-team training this week in the build-up to the big game.
This is a player with only one senior competitive appearance for Newcastle, so he’s surely not going to be thrown in at the deep end like this.
Still, it could be an interesting one to watch for this weekend as perhaps Howe feels he has Parkinson as a surprise trick up his sleeve.
Most likely, however, Parkinson is there to make up the numbers and Newcastle will aim to field as strong a team as possible against Liverpool.
The Reds will be the favourites to lift the trophy, as they did when they beat Chelsea 1-0 in the League Cup final last season.
It could be the first piece of silverware of the Arne Slot era, with the Dutch tactician making a superb impact since taking over at Anfield.
Still, Newcastle will be no pushovers thanks to top players like Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes in their ranks.
