As Toon defeat Man Utd, Brighton, and Aston Villa to young potential, a new signing begins in Tokyo.
A young midfielder for Newcastle United, CJ Afumuzor is presently playing for our U15s in Japan after finalizing his switch to the club last week.
We disclosed in a June exclusive NUFC Blog post that Newcastle had defeated Manchester United, Brighton, and Aston Villa in order to get the highly regarded 14-year-old, who was regarded as one of the best category three players while he was at Portsmouth.
After a few months, he is among several Academy stars who traveled to Tokyo this week to begin their own pre-season training in anticipation of the 2024–2025 season.
In front of 1,000 spectators, CJ made his debut in Tokyo alongside other talented young players like Sam Alabi and Michael Mills, who signed last summer. Our U15 team faced a Japanese team that boasts some of the top young players in the J-League.Since joining from Oldham and Port Vale last summer, Alabi and Mills have both left a lasting impression, demonstrating that our Academy—which this week also signed highly-regarded Rory Finneran—is moving in the right direction. Similar to Afumuzor, Alabi is a tall but technically excellent box-to-box midfielder, and Mills is a cunning 15-year-old winger.
A true test in challenging, muggy conditions for our teenage talents, and that’s exactly what the scoreline said. The J-League team emerged victorious, winning 7-3. Mills, Oliver Best, and 13-year-old Ethan Fullen scored goals for the youthful Mags.With Lewis Miley breaking out last season and promising players like Trevan Sanusi and Alfie Harrison in this summer’s preseason friendly, it will be intriguing to watch how Afumuzor, Alabi, Mills, and many more fare in the years to come.
