Sean Neave

Neave scores goals with a regularity that stands out even among academy strikers, arriving inside the penalty area at the right moment far more consistently than a young forward is usually credited for at his age. That instinct is difficult to coach into a player. It tends to draw attention from a first team manager even when the rest of a striker's game is still developing steadily around it.

He supported Newcastle as a boy before ever signing his first professional contract with the club. That adds an obvious layer of meaning to every single appearance he gets close to making. The gap he still has to close is physical readiness against senior defenders, since scoring against academy opposition and doing it against experienced centre backs remain very different tests entirely.