Newcastle United youngster Park Seung-soo is set to miss up to a month of the new season after being called up to represent South Korea at the 2026 Asian Games. The 19-year-old will join his under-23 teammates in September, with the men's football tournament running from September 15 to October 3.
Park's international opportunity
Park is the youngest member of the Taegeuk Warriors squad and will aim to help South Korea secure a fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal, following victories in 2014, 2018, and 2022. Having earned five caps for the under-20s side, this represents a step up for the Newcastle prospect, who made 24 appearances for the Magpies' under-21s across all competitions last season.
Park made an immediate impression at first-team level during pre-season last year, shortly after joining from Suwon Bluewings. He was named on the bench for Newcastle's opening-day 0-0 draw with Aston Villa and also featured on the bench for the 3-1 FA Cup win over the same opponents at Villa Park in February. The club holds high hopes for his future on Tyneside.
Development with under-21s
In the meantime, Park has been working diligently with the under-21s under former coach Adam Lawrence and current boss Robbie Stockdale. He ended the season with two goals and five assists for the second string. In an 'Inside Newcastle's Academy' feature, Stockdale and head of football development Mark Atkinson provided insight into Park's progress and the challenges set for him to reach first-team level.
During a one-to-one feedback session, Park said: "I think I feel better physically. One v ones, I try more shots." When asked about his off-the-ball work, he added: "More [runs] in behind." Atkinson noted that Park's end product had improved toward the end of the season, to which Park replied: "I need more." Stockdale agreed, stating: "For your ability, it should be more."
Technical and tactical growth
The trio reviewed clips of Park, a right-footed left-winger, creating assists against Manchester United and Leicester. In those instances, the full-back showed him onto his left foot, and Park drove down the outside of his defender, cutting balls back across the face of goal with his left foot to create scoring opportunities. Stockdale praised Park's awareness of how to exploit his full-back.
Stockdale then issued a challenge: "In possession you've got good quality. To get into a first team, senior environment, out of possession is as important. So you need to make sure you keep working on that but from where you were to where you are now, big improvement."
