Newcastle United U21s have bowed out of the Premier League Cup with two games to spare with a narrow home defeat to Sheffield United. The Blades earned a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture last week, and made it a double as Leo Gaxha scored the only goal of the game on Monday night.
Elliott Dickman named six changes from the defeat to the same opponents last weekend, with several young Magpies joining Eddie Howe and the first-team squad for a warm weather training camp in Saudi Arabia. Jude Smith and Isaac Westendorf were among those to keep their spots, with recent recruits Amadou Diallo and Jordan Hackett coming into the side.
It was a game of two halves as Sheffield United controlled the opening period, and were rewarded for their dominance as Gaxha beat Smith with a rebound. The Magpies improved after the interval but were unable to find an equaliser, and here are three things we learned from Newcastle U21s sixth straight defeat.
READ MORE: Newcastle United U21s vs Sheffield United U21s highlights
Saudi camp call-ups
It was another much-changed lineup from the young Magpies, with a number of rising stars called up for the training camp in Saudi Arabia. Lewis Miley, Jay Turner-Cooke, Joe White and captain Alex Murphy are currently training with the first-team, and could feature in the friendly with Al-Hilal on Thursday.
It is the latest sign of the growing link between the academy and senior setup during Howe's tenure, and it will prove to be an undoubted positive for their respective developments. However, it also unquestionably left the U21s short for the latest clash with the Blades.
For the second week in a row, there was not much to choose between Newcastle and Sheffield United. The Blades deserved their first-half advantage, while the hosts improved significantly after the break.
However, there was a distinct lack of cutting edge from the Magpies, who enjoyed large spells of possession without truly troubling Callum Hiddleston in goal. The absence of Turner-Cooke and White in particular proved telling, as Dickman's side could not find a way through the Blades' defence.
Munoz's comeback
One positive for Newcastle was the return of Munoz, who made his comeback following a near four-month absence through injury. The loanee was introduced just after the hour-mark in place of Isaac Westendorf.
The young striker is coming to the end of his 18-month loan on Tyneside, with no word yet as to whether the Magpies will exercise their option to make the deal permanent. Injuries have limited Munoz's impact in black-and-white so far, meaning a return to Santos Laguna is likely on the cards.
The 20-year-old has not made an appearance since August due to injury, and reports from Mexico suggested an exit would be 'imminent'. However, Dickman insisted he was not aware of any decision being taken over when recently asked about Munoz's future.
Munoz was introduced alongside Michael Ndiweni as the Magpies pressed for an equaliser. The loanee showed several good touches, and was denied a dream return as he saw his close-range rebound turned away by Hiddleston in added time.
Losing run continues
The senior call-ups for a number of key players do provide a caveat to this latest loss. But there is also no escaping the fact that Newcastle have now lost their last six matches in all competitions.
It is a run which has seen dismal defeats away at Bristol City and in the Northumberland Senior Cup to ninth-tier Whitley Bay. There has also been a number of narrow losses to contend with, and this was another case of Newcastle coming out on the wrong side of an even contest.
The Magpies' unbeaten run came to an end at league leaders Leeds United last month, and their group-stage exit from the Premier League Cup has now been confirmed. It is now a matter of restoring pride for Newcastle in their final two fixtures to avoid crashing out of the competition with no points.
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