Newcastle United under-21s captain Scott Bailey is emerging as a standout performer, adding further competition to a midfield already rich in options. The 20-year-old delivered a player-of-the-match display at St James' Park on Monday as Robbie Stockdale's side beat Sunderland 3-2 in front of first-team head coach Matthias Jaissle.
A Deep Midfield Pool
At first-team level, much has been made about the limited game time afforded to £34.5million summer signing Aladji Bamba. The 20-year-old joined from Monaco but has been restricted to just 27 minutes this season as Jaissle has preferred other options.
Nico Gonzalez, Joelinton, Jacob Ramsey, Lewis Miley, Joe Willock and Sean Steur are all above Bamba in the pecking order, though Bamba, Miley and Steur are seen as major talents of the future. Teenage talents Rory Finneran and Ousmane Diabate are also excelling on loan at Notts County and Genclerbirligi respectively.
Under-21s Making an Impression
Beneath those nine players, Newcastle have three midfield options in the under-21s set-up catching the eye, giving them 12 options for two spots in Jaissle's 4-2-3-1 formation. Mason Miley has been around the first-team set-up all season, while 16-year-old Jayden Kouossu has made a seamless transition from under-18 to under-21 level, scoring in Friday's 2-0 win over Peterborough United.
Bailey, who joined Newcastle's academy aged nine, has gone under the radar this season. Stockdale has previously described him as an 'unsung hero', but the 20-year-old is beginning to earn plaudits.
Coach's Praise and Next Challenge
"He's got really good technical ability, but he's a strong player," Stockdale told Chronicle Live. "He's probably one of the older ones in our group. He brings a calmness to our play. He brings a real strong physicality, but he can play."
"It's just making sure we keep pushing Scotty to try and hopefully forge him a career in the game, which I'm sure he will. The last three or four games he's probably been our pick, to be honest. Those unsung heroes, if we're all saying he's played well for three or four games now, he might not be the unsung hero anymore."
Bailey will be in action again on Tuesday as he leads the under-21s into the knockout stages of the Jersey Mike's Trophy against League Two side Rotherham United.
