Newcastle United young gun Joe White has made it clear he no longer wants to be playing Under-21 football as he eyes life on the bigger stage.
The attacking midfielder was, in the words of former boss Steve Bruce, "nicked" by Newcastle from Carlisle as a kid before signing a professional deal last season. White is regarded as one of the best talents at the Academy and was at one stage neck and neck with Elliot Anderson before being hit by a spate of injuries.
After failing to get a loan move in the window, not helped by a knee injury in pre-season, White has been using the Papa John's Trophy as his platform to catch the eye. But now after getting close to full fitness he hopes the next three months can be an audition to impress Eddie Howe.
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White told Chronicle Live: "I don't want to be playing Under-21s football any more. "Unfortunately I did not manage to get on loan this season so these games are important for me to see where I am at and hopefully get out on loan in January."
White did end up at Hartlepool on loan last season and made 16 appearances with the highlight being a trip to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup. After getting the taste for senior football, it is little wonder White feels he has done all he can in the reserves.
He said: "I think after last season, playing first-team football at Hartlepool, in the second half of the season I enjoy the EFL Trophy nights. That's all I want to do now. The initial aim is to get into Eddie Howe's first-team squad. And I have got three months to improve as much as possible and play as well as I can.
"I need to be the best player on the pitch for the Under-21s in each game. I think I need to stand out in these games which will help in January."
White was surprisingly overlooked in pre-season from the first-team's visit to Austria with Elliot Anderson and Jay Turner-Cooke called up instead. But the midfielder has explained why.
White added: "I've been up there (first-team training) every day since I came back from injury. I am still not at full fitness. That was my first full game at Barnsley but for the last two weeks I have been up there most days. That further enhances my first-team chances.
"It happened in Spain in pre-season. I picked up a niggle and didn't manage to get to Austria because of that. In Spain I tore my lateral meniscus. I did it before the Elche game but played through it, I didn't think it was major so I had a scan when I came back and the scan came back and showed a tear.
"It was disappointing to start the season like that and that stopped the loans going through. Which obviously I wanted to do."
When asked what it is like to train with Eddie Howe and co, the attacking midfielder said: "It is totally different to anything you can imagine compared to Under-21s or even going on loan with first-teams at lower leagues. It's crazy really, not just physically but mentally as well.
"You have to be totally switched on. You need to be switched on if you go up there. Eddie is the best really. He is the reason I signed the contract in January.
"He spoke to me a lot and he is a massive help to everybody. Everybody I speak to down here in the Under-21s and everybody I speak to up at the first-team. Especially the guys who have been with him the longest like Matt Ritchie with Bournemouth. They sing his praises but I have nothing but kind words to say about him."
Newcastle must now wait until October 11 to see the result of Doncaster against Barnsley. If the Tykes lose the game, Newcastle can still go through to the knockout stages IF they beat Lincoln City.
Reflecting on the EFL Trophy, White said: "I think it was similar to the Doncaster game in the sense that we were disappointed as we could have done more and imposed ourselves more on the game. Especially we could have started better, just like Doncaster, it was same again, a frustrating feeling.
"We have a few things to learn and especially for those getting their first taste of men's football. It was a good experience though."
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