Newcastle United Under 19’s coach Ben Dawson saw plenty to be happy about despite their 4-0 hammering by AC Milan with Travis Hernes singled out by the coach.
Newcastle United‘s U19s were on the receiving end of a 4-0 pasting by their AC Milan counterparts on Tuesday but coach Ben Dawson saw some positives in the game.
AC Milan got off to a flier bagging three goals before the half hour mark and crushing any confidence the young Magpies may have had.
Ben Dawson saw some bright points in the big defeat
However there were some bright performances from Newcastle despite the result with Dawson going on singling out new boy Travis Hernes.
The 18-year-old midfielder signed late on deadline day from Shrewsbury Town and had only played once before for his new club in the EFL Trophy.
The young Norwegian came in for some high praise from Dawson who said after the game (via The Chronicle): “He’s been terrific. It’s all very new for him still.
“He’s still quite green after making that jump. He played in the Premier League Cup against Huddersfield and did really well. Totally different experience today.
Dawson says new boy Travis Hernes has ‘plenty of potential’
“He’s going to take some time to settle in but a player we really like and we think he’s got plenty of potential.”
Hernes and his U19 teammates still have Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund to look forward to as the U19s competition runs parallel to the Champions League.
It’s vital experience for the youngsters that’s been lacking in Newcastle’s academy for too long. The higher level of competition should help the U19s develop into the future stars they’ve been identified to be.