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Beardsley Pleased To See Youngsters Get Opportunities
Written by Newcastle Utd
Football Development Manager Peter Beardsley was delighted to see Daniel Barlaser, Liam Gibson and Callum Williams involved for the first team last weekend
By Dan King - Newcastle United Digital Editor
Peter Beardsley was pleased to see three of his under-21 players named on the first team bench against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday - and he hopes that more of his youngsters can follow in the footsteps of Daniel Barlaser, Liam Gibson and Callum Williams and catch the eye of head coach Steve McClaren.
Beardsley, the former Newcastle and England legend, is now in charge of helping the next generation of United players to bridge the vital gap between the Academy and the first team - and has seen the likes of Paul Dummett, Rolando Aarons and Adam Armstrong do exactly that in recent times.
And while Barlaser, Gibson and Williams still have a long way to go before they can claim to have achieved the same feat, last weekend offered further evidence of the pathway that exists for young players at St. James' Park.
"It's what this job's about: getting them on the fringe of the first team," he told nufc.co.uk. "I know we've had a few injuries but to be fair to the head coach, he keeps on promoting the next one in line and he's always done that since the day he walked in.
"It's easy for me to say, because I don't make those big decisions, but I think that's the way it should be and he (Steve McClaren) has been outstanding from day one in terms of that.
"It is why I love this job. I was lucky enough to be involved last year when Callum Roberts and Lubo (Satka) made their debuts at Leicester and it's all about getting them to the next level. The more the merrier.
"Obviously at the moment, there are a lot of injuries but the next step is if we can get one or two of them involved even when the first team is injury-free.
"But the head coach is great and absolutely perfect for me and Ben (Dawson, Newcastle's professional phase development coach) in terms of promoting the players; the next cab on the rank, as we call it."