Newcastle United face a testing month ahead and their activity in the transfer market will not only affect their chances of Premier League survival, as it could play into the development of younger players in the squad.
The Chronicle states that young goalkeeping duo Freddie Woodman and Paul Woolston are keen to move away from the club on-loan this month to get some vital first-team experience but the Magpies’ current situation is preventing that from happening.
England U20 World Cup winner Woodman made his first-team debut in the FA Cup third round victory over Luton Town and is poised to be on the bench for the Premier League clash with Swansea City this weekend, due to Rob Elliot’s injury.
19-year-old Woolston is also being prevented from an exit as he’s currently third in line for the slot between the posts, which means that both of the highly-rated pair could have their developments severely hampered.
Neither is likely to earn regular opportunities in the first-team fold but Rafael Benitez will not sanction a departure unless a new goalkeeper is signed, as he continues to chase top targets.
