10 Newcastle players who've impressed me over pre-season
After playing four pre-season friendly's thus far, there's been some impressive performers for Newcastle already this summer.
Our latest pre-season match saw a sluggish 2-1 defeat to Mainz, but prior to this we've seen an emphatic 4-0 win at Bradford, a comfortable 2-1 win at hearts and a 1-1 draw with Championship outfit Preston.
Here's 10 Newcastle players who've impressed us most over pre-season thus far ahead of NUFC's penultimate clash against Wolfsburg:
1. Florian Lejeune
After a long, drawn-out transfer saga, the Frenchman was signed for £8.7m earlier this summer from La Liga side Eibar, and based on his displays so far, he was worth the wait. The 6ft 3' centre-half looks to have a nice blend of no nonsense and ball playing ability, with his coolness and quality in possession particularly standing out.
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2. Jonjo Shelvey
Shelvey has admitted prior to pre-season that he is in the best shape of his career and it's been there for all to see. He looks fit and lean and has single handedly ran the show at times, demanding the ball, finding attacking runners with ease and asking all sorts of questions with his sublime range of passing.
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3. Christian Atsu
Several fans questioned our decision to buy the Ghanaian this summer after a mixed spell in the Championship last season, however the £6m man has looked very sharp over pre-season. His pace is there for all to see but his final ball has often left a lot to be desired, however he has produced some superb pieces of wing play against Bradford and Mainz, delivering some dangerous crosses after beating his opposition full-back for pace.
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4. Rolando Aarons
The 21-year old still has a lot to learn, but he has shown glimpses of his explosive talent, has shown improved durability following some tough tackles and looks a player fired up and ready to finally make an impact for Newcastle United. He struck the bar TWICE in a lively display at Hearts and caused Bradford all sorts of problems, laying it on a plate for Aleksandar Mitrovic in the second half at Valley Parade.
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5. Dwight Gayle
Despite 23 goals in the Championship last season, Gayle ended his campaign in stuttering style with a hamstring injury clearly causing him problems over the run-in. Gayle looked sharp as a razor in our pre-season opener against Hearts, looking back to his busy and bustling self, bagging two goals in the process. With 3 goals in 4 games over pre-season, it's good to see NUFC's n0.9 looking in good shape.
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6. Siem De Jong
The Dutchman is fighting for his life on Tyneside, having been offered one last chance to impress under Rafa Benitez. His sharp turn and inch-perfect pass to set up Dwight Gayle against Hearts showed just what he's capable of. He is yet to get injured (touch wood!) and has faired better physically than some may have expected, however must overcome his tendency to drift out of games - as impressive as his flashes of his quality and composure may be.
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7. Jacob Murphy
The 22-year old signed from Norwich for £10m and arrives as a boy-hood fan full of potential. It's clear he has bags of pace and is not afraid to take his man on, however it must be said that Benitez will look to nurture that talent, with Murphy showing a tendency to lose possession cheaply from what we've seen. His two goal haul in the 4-0 win over Bradford showed his composure in front of goal, but the England U-21 winger must still be considered as a 'work in progress' despite his undoubted talent.
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8. Freddie Woodman
After an impressive loan spell in the SPL last season and an outstanding tournament with England U-20's in their World Cup win, Woodman arrived back an incredibly exciting prospect. He has been handed a few cameos by Benitez and has looked confident, calm and assured in all of them. Another loan move is the most likely scenario for the 20-year old, but if he continues to impress, he may just be fighting for the number one jersey before long.
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9. Ivan Toney
The 21-year old striker showed glimpses of quality in League One last season and, if his pre-season form is anything to go by, it feels like we have a real talent on our hands in Toney. He looks physically strong, mobile for his height and ice cool in front of goal, bagging five times in two games during wins over Celtic U-23's and AZ Alkmaar U-23's in the Whitby Town Challenge cup. Toney has certainly given Rafa Benitez something to think about.
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10. Victor Fernandez
The highly-rated Spaniard arrived on Tyneside in January, linking up with Peter Beardsley's U-23 set up. Fernandez was, however, a surprise inclusion in Rafa Benitez's senior squad that spent a week training camp in Ireland, and has since went on to star for the U-23's, scoring an outstanding solo goal against Gateshead - one to watch next season perhaps?
