Newcastle United Under-21s lead coach Robbie Stockdale is hopeful young duo Sean Neave and Miodrag Pivas will be handed a first opportunity in Wednesday night's Carabao Cup second round tie with West Bromwich Albion.
Both players were named in Stockdale's starting eleven as his side got their Premier League 2 campaign underway with a 3-1 home defeat against a lively Tottenham Hotspur side on Monday night.
Pre-planned switch
With the score level after a Vakhtang Salia goal was cancelled out by an equaliser from Spurs striker Reiss Elliott-Parris, Neave and Pivas were replaced at half-time as Stockdale introduced Luke Craggs and Michael Mills into the action in what he explained was a pre-planned switch.
The absence of Leo Shahar from Monday night's squad would indicate the former Wolves academy product is in line for a first senior start against the Baggies - and Stockdale hinted there is a chance he could be joined by Neave and Pivas in Matthias Jaissle's squad.
Speaking after Monday night's defeat, the Magpies academy coach said: "It was the plan, him and Miodrag to be off after 45 minutes. That's great because hopefully that means there will be some sort of involvement in the week [at first team level] for them but that's something the Under-21s coaching staff have to deal with quite often. It happens."
Sanusi injury blow
One player that appears unlikely to be handed a chance to impress at senior level in midweek is young winger Trevan Sanusi after he was forced out of the action midway through the first half after making a bright start to the Spurs defeat.
Stockdale had already suggested the former Birmingham City academy star would not fall under his remit this season and could spend the campaign with the first team or out on loan.
Sanusi showed why there is so much excitement about his potential within the United academy ranks with a lively opening 25 minutes against the Spurs youngsters and it was the highly-rated winger that set up the opening goal of the game for Salia.
However, he was forced out of the action when he was replaced by Seung-Soo Park - and Stockdale described the injury as 'a real blow' for the player and his side.
"He just felt some pain in his right leg, almost like pins and needles was how he described it so it was a strange one," said Stockdale. "Whether it's a nerve problem or something like that - but it was a real blow for Trevan to go off. I thought he had the beating of their full-back and the way Tottenham play, playing such a high line, Trevan was going to be a real threat for us all evening so it was a shame he had to come off because he started the game really well."
