Over the last year, Newcastle United have enjoyed success with multiple youngsters from within their academy or the transfer market.
Lewis Miley has been the most impressive, with the 17-year-old featuring heavily under boss Eddie Howe in the Premier League so far this campaign.
The youngster has even featured for the Magpies in the Champions League against the likes of PSG and AC Milan, with Miley not looking out of place despite his tender age.
The club have also invested in youth in the last few windows, with the Magpies signing winger Yankuba Minteh for around £5.8m on July 1st 2023 from Danish side Odense BK, before immediately joining Feyenoord on loan for the rest of the 2023/24 campaign.
He's impressed in the Eredivisie, scoring seven times in his 20 league appearances, as the 19-year-old looks to gain experience ahead of a potential first-team spot for Newcastle next season.
However, a fellow youngster has endured a season to forget, with another Newcastle talent failing to make an impact during his loan stint in the Netherlands.
Garang Kuol's move to Newcastle United
Attacker Garang Kuol joined Newcastle United back in January 2023, for a fee in the region of £300k after 11 goal contributions in 22 games for the Central Coast Mariners in Australia.
The "unbelievable" youngster, as dubbed by Barcelona manager Xavi, immediately joined Scottish side Hearts on loan until the end of the 2022/23 campaign, with the Magpies wanting the Australian to gain valuable first-team minutes.
He only featured nine times for the club, playing just 205 minutes, but scoring a key goal for the Jam Tarts in the 2-2 draw with Rangers at Ibrox.
He would leave the Scottish side at the end of the campaign, returning to the Magpies before being loaned out once more for the 2023/24 season – a move that has been a disaster for the 19-year-old.
Garang Kuol's disasterous loan move in 2023/24
The young attacker agreed to join Dutch side FC Volendam for the 2023/24 campaign, with the Magpies once again hoping Kuol can gain valuable first-team minutes.
He enjoyed a positive start to life in the Netherlands, featuring in 12 of the club's first 14 Eredivisie outings, with Kuol grabbing himself a goal and an assist in the process.
He's since failed to add to his goal or assist tally since his first 12 outings, with the Newcastle loanee only managing to score once in 15 league appearances this season.
However, the departure of manager Matthias Kohler in December has seen Kuol drop right down the pecking order, with the Australian barely getting any minutes in recent weeks.
In 2024, the 19-year-old has only featured for 32 minutes, with the youngster an unused substitute during Volderdam's last five league outings.
PSV Eindhoven (11/02/24)
12'
FC Utrecht (04/02/24)
12'
Almere City (14/01/24)
10'
PEC Zwolle (02/12/23)
33'
AZ Alkmaar (26/11/23)
67'
It has to be said, Kuol has been very unlucky during his latest loan spell. The circumstances surrounding his recent lack of game time are completely out of his hands – with the Australian finding it difficult to develop his game with limited minutes after Kohler's departure.
Given his disastrous campaign so far, it is pivotal that Howe and the hierarchy take a close look at the youngster and accommodate him with the right loan move next season to prevent his development from stagnating at St James' Park.