Newcastle United striker set to leave - could still make one final St James' Park appearance

Newcastle United under-21s played at St James’ Park on Monday night and for some players, it might have been for the final time.

The young Magpies were beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa and among those involved who are out-of-contract this summer are Amadou Diallo, Lucas de Bolle, Jordan Hackett and Dylan Stephenson.

Three of those four players have remained with the club’s academy this year. Stephenson, however, has only just come back into the fold after spending the second-half of the season on loan at National League North side South Shields.

Reuniting with former Magpies coach Elliott Dickman, the 21-year-old enjoyed a successful spell, scoring eight goals and providing one assist in 18 appearances as the Mariners narrowly missed out of play-off spot.

Their league campaign ended on Saturday, April 20, which has allowed Newcastle to take a closer look at how he’s developed in under-21s matches against Stoke City, where he was on the scoresheet, and Monday night versus Villa.

“He’s come back from his loan more mature,” U21s boss Ben Dawson told the Shields Gazette. “He still has the same strengths that we knew he did when he went to South Shields, but he’s had that exposure of a senior dressing room and he’s been more of a vocal leader in the dressing room since he came back. 

“He’s been more of a vocal leader on the training pitch and he’s always been a role model in terms of his work ethic, desire, attitude. You saw that against Aston Villa and on Friday night [v Stoke City], he was leading by example at the top of the pitch so the loan will have done him the world of good in terms of maturing.

“Pleased to see him back in the team and we hope that the platform we have given him here and that he’s had out on loan will give him a good footing for a career in the league.”

Although Dawson has heavily praised Stephenson’s maturity, NewcastleWorld understands the Blyth-born forward will leave at the end of his contract. And there has been no shortage of interest already with clubs in the EFL and National League keen.

But Stephenson - and his young teammates who are in the same boat - might yet get one final St James’ Park outing. The under-21s are back in action on Thursday night as they visit Ashington for a place in the final of the Northumberland Senior Cup.