Dan Ashworth speaks out on the 'one that got away' after Geordie makes Premier League bow

Last summer, Newcastle United lost highly-rated midfielder Bobby Clark to Liverpool - a move Dan Ashworth has been discussing 18 months on from his exit.

Clark - son of former Mag Lee - was considered one of the most promising youngsters in the country when he progressed through our academy ranks as a teenager, but swapped Tyneside for Merseyside last summer as the Reds paid a £1.5m compensation package to secure his services.

It was pre-takeover and during the days of Mike Ashley and Steve Bruce, but there's a feeling of regret on Newcastle United's part - especially as the 17-year-old Geordie made his Premier League debut in Liverpool's 9-0 win over Bournemouth earlier this season.

Speaking about Clark's exit, Ashworth accepts that certain factors are out of the club's control when it comes to local gems wanting to leave, but feels Newcastle can learn from this by creating "evidence of a pathway" to first-team football - something that's often let us down over the past decade.

Here's what our sporting director had to say when asked about Clark slipping through the net last summer:

“I’d be lying if I said that (the situation with Clark) will never happen again.

"Ultimately, what you can’t control are the different reasons why players want to go to a club.

"It might pathway, it might be money, it might be where family are situated or a link with that particular city or country.

“But I think the more you can make players feel valued, the more you can give them evidence of a pathway to a first team and the more the club are striving towards the targets we'd like to achieve, that gives a story and a reason for a young player or senior player to stay and be part of that journey.

“I don’t know the situation around Bobby. I don’t know the specific details around it but, ultimately, our goal is to make sure we do attract and retain the talent and manage that talent better than anybody else.”