Kyran Thompson on fire as Newcastle U21s end eight-year wait on Monday night
Kyran Thompson continued his impressive start to life at Newcastle United by scoring in Monday night’s EFL Trophy victory over League Two side Rotherham United.
The 17-year-old winger has been one of the standout performers since arriving from Arsenal this summer, taking his goal tally to six in just seven appearances in the club's Academy.
Thompson continues superb start
Thompson struck in the first half against Alex Bruce's Rotherham with a confident finish, adding another goal to what has been an excellent start to life on Tyneside.
The teenage winner has now bagged five goals and one assist in seven outings for our Under-21s, with his latest contribution helping our Young Mags not only make it five wins in a row, but book their place in the EFL Trophy knockout stages via a 1-0 win at the New York Stadium.
His record is particularly impressive when looking at the opposition he has faced. Thompson scored a goal and provided an assist on his Under-21 debut against York, before netting twice away to Hartlepool last month, meaning he has now scored against three different senior sides this season.
Monday’s strike takes him to four goals in his last four Under-21 starts, having also found the net in the recent 3-2 victory over Sunderland’s second string.
Senior call-ups and eight-year wait ends
Thompson’s performances have not gone unnoticed by the first-team staff.
The winger was named on the Newcastle bench for our 2-1 victory over Hull City and also travelled with the senior squad for the trip to Coventry, despite not being listed as one of our matchday substitutes.
There is still a long way to go before he can seriously challenge for regular first-team football, but Thompson is certainly giving himself the best possible chance with his performances at Under-21 level, alongside his progression with England's Under-18s.
There was also a wider achievement for our Under-21s last night, as their victory secured a place in the EFL Trophy knockout stages for the first time since 2018.
It has been a positive campaign so far for Robbie Stockdale's side, and Thompson’s emergence is becoming one of the most exciting stories to follow within our ever-improving Academy.
