Newcastle sell Travis Hernes as club activates purchase option

FC Groningen has activated its option to buy Newcastle United youngster Travis Hernes.

The 20-year-old midfielder spent last season on loan at the Eredivisie side, and although he only made 11 appearances, Groningen were clearly impressed enough that they wanted to keep him around, as confirmed by Newcastle's official website.

Hernes had made a few appearances for the first team under Eddie Howe in pre-season friendlies, but also took up a spot on the bench in the FA Cup and Premier League.

Hernes has represented Norway at international youth level up to the Under-21s, but is also eligible to represent Jamaica.

Travis Hernes has been with Newcastle since he was 16

Travis Hernes signed for Newcastle at the age of 16 from Shrewsbury Town and was a player who looked like he had great promise, and it was clear that Eddie Howe was a fan, as he kept him close to the first team while he was here.

Groningen took full advantage of Hernes' versatility last season. In the 11 appearances for the Eredivisie side, he covered central midfield, left midfield and right wing.

While he only made three starts and didn't rack up any goal contributions, he obviously showed enough in the 331 minutes he played to convince Groningen to activate their clause.

Eredivisie loans becoming a theme 

It seems that not every player we send out on loan is destined for failure, but the ones who do impress while away from the club don't tend to come back.

Travis Hernes and Yankuba Minteh were both successful loans, with the latter heading to Feyenoord, and neither made it onto the pitch as a Newcastle United first-team player.

We have seen mixed success when players head to the Netherlands, however, with Garang Kuol (Volendam) and Miodrag Pivas (Willem II) struggling for minutes.

We wish Hernes all the best on his new venture.