Newcastle United supporters will be left wondering 'what could have been' after Freddie Woodman joined Preston North-End on a permanent deal. The 25-year-old ends his nine year spell on Tyneside, leaving for an undisclosed fee to join the Championship outfit ahead of the upcoming season.
Woodman joined Newcastle United as a teenager in 2013 having come through the ranks at Crystal Palace like his father. He spent the majority of his Tyneside stint out on loan at six different clubs – Hartlepool United, Crawley Town, Kilmarnock, Aberdeen, Swansea City and AFC Bournemouth.
He represented England from under-16 to under-21 level, winning the Under-17 European Championships in 2014 before lifting the Under-20 World Cup – and the tournament’s Golden Glove award – three years later. Woodman made nine appearances for the first team, with the majority of those coming at the start of last season.
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Woodman was once tipped to become the Magpies number one with talk of him becoming England's number one. Now, Newcastle supporters have taken to social media to wish him well.
Here's what fans have had to say after Woodman's departure:
@SLD_16 said: "Such a shame. He showed genuine promise for us. Good luck to the lad!"
@JakeArnold201 7 tweeted: "So unfortunate, was soon to be a class keeper! Too many loans and not enough faith!"
@KeyTweetThings said: "Years and years and years of him having potential, being the future number one, great seasons for Swansea. Darlow and Dubravka out, he gets a chance, and we all know how that went, hate to think what that did to his confidence and his career."
@TheSpenceUK said: "All the best for the future Freddie."
@cjtol3 said: "Best of luck Woody! Hope you carry on your development and continue to make a great career."
@fistig1 tweeted: "He seemed to be on a upward path after his loan spell at Swansea. Shame it didn't work out for him here but I'm glad he's got a move to a good club and hopefully some consistent 1st team football."
@GraemeWatt2 said: "Always thought he was decent and would be no1, obviously hasn't worked out."
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