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Taylor: 'The Kids Are Alright'
Written by Newcastle Utd
Steven Taylor believes there is a bright future at Newcastle, with a promising crop of youngsters coming through the ranks
By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Managing Editor
Steven Taylor believes there is a bright future at Newcastle United, with a promising crop of youngsters coming through the ranks on Tyneside.
Teenage forward Adam Armstrong broke into the first team last season, while the likes of Olivier Kemen, Lubo Satka, Freddie Woodman and Rolando Aarons were all part of the matchday squad in the closing weeks.
That group, along with Remie Streete, Adam Campbell, Mehdi Abeid, Gael Bigirimana and new signing Ayoze Perez are currently undertaking pre-season training with their senior colleagues.
And homegrown defender Taylor, aged 28, believes training with established Premier League stars will bring the rookies on leaps and bounds.
"It is great for them to be training with us every day, just like they were towards the end of last season as well," Taylor told nufc.co.uk.
"Being in high-quality training sessions like ours are only going to benefit them.
"It's a very different environment for them, going from the Academy and Under-21 teams to the first team. It's a different kettle of fish completely, so it is also good for us experienced professionals to pass on our knowledge to the young lads coming in."
A number of the youngsters could get a chance to impress in United's pre-season friendlies, which kick-off next Tuesday (15th July) at Oldham Athletic.
And Taylor reckons seeing players find a route from the Academy into the first team will go down well on the terraces of St. James' Park.
"The fans are always wanting to see the next batch of young lads coming through the system, and this is a good group that we are producing now," he explained.
"They will see them in the squads and maybe on the bench, and that is a positive thing for the city and the Club."