Exciting 8/10 and two 4s - Newcastle player ratings from 1-0 defeat to K-League XI

A sluggish display in South Korea as Newcastle United made it three pre-season defeats on the spin in a 1-0 loss to a K-League XI earlier today.

Tough conditions and 90 minutes that didn't ease many fears around our desperate need for signings, with the game featuring a few poor showings, one or two lively cameos and one worrying injury. Here's our ratings out of 10:

Starting XI

Pope (6) - Was much busier than he would have expected. Distribution was slightly improved which will need to continue with the expected arrival of Aaron Ramsdale

Krafth (5) - Was caught out of position on occasions and didn’t offer much of a threat going forward. Swedish link up wasn’t quite where it was expected to be down the right.

Lascelles (4) - Ran ragged for the goal and should’ve dealt with the danger much better. Very much 4th choice centre half, but will be rusty after a long spell out.

Murphy (5) - Shaky first half which included an awful clearance which should’ve been punished. Looked more comfortable in the second half when we had more control of the game

Livramento (5) - Uncharacteristically caught in possession on numerous occasions and failed to link up with Gordon on the left. Rare poor performance

Miley (5) - Worryingly shrugged off the ball on several occasions. For his size he needs to improve his strength on the ball. Ended up playing on the right side of a back three in the second half, bizarrely.

Tonali (6.5) - Best of a bad bunch from the starting XI. Ran his socks off but again was wasteful in possession with some uncharacteristic giveaways and a few wayward shots.

Willock (4) - Unfortunately looked to have suffered a serious injury right at the end which just capped off a poor performance. Wish him well as he is due some luck on the injury front

Elanga (6) - Erratic and clearly working on combinations but also looked our most likely avenue in attack. Looks a good fit for our system and will improve with time

Gordon (5) - Awful in the first half but did better in the second as he was given more of a free role. Ran his socks off but no end product which has become all too common lately

Osula (5.5) - Struggled to get into the game in the first half but had a couple of chances to equalise. Definitely not ready to lead the line just yet

Substitutes 

Ashby (7) - Did well when he came on. Knows he’s fourth choice right back but was tenacious in the tackle and put in a few good crosses.

Thompson (5) - Didn’t have much to do but one shaky clearance indirectly led to the injury to Willock

Hernes (6) - A tidy cameo without pulling up any trees.

Seung-Soo (8) - Very lively! Immediately took on three players and forced a corner. Showed speed, exciting dribbling and real urgency. Did more of note in 10 minutes than most did all game. Our new boy from Korea looks quite a talent.

Harrison (NR) - On in added time for Willock.