Harrison Ashby now one of two Newcastle United reserves on verge of loan move to same club
As Newcastle United battle through an injury crisis in defence, Under-21 player Harrison Ashby must have been rubbing his hands together.
Ashby was brought in from West Ham in 2023, arriving with a ton of promise and was expected to make a rapid rise from the reserves to the first team.
Eddie Howe, to be fair, has given the 24-year-old opportunities to impress in each pre-season, but it's becoming clear that he just doesn't seem to fit what Howe is looking for.
This month would have been prime for Ashby to stake a claim to a place in the first-team given how badly hit Eddie Howe's defence has been with injuries.
Harrison Ashby and Joe White are heading to League One
Instead, it looks like Harrison Ashby and Joe White will be heading to League One Bradford City on loan for the remainder of the season.
The story has been doing the rounds on social media and was echoed by Keith Downie on his YouTube channel on Monday.
The fact that Ashby is heading to League One is quite a damning indictment of where the club feels his level is.
It could be the last loan moves of Joe White and Harrison Ashby at Newcastle
The move to Bradford would be Joe White's second loan of the season, having been recalled from Leyton Orient this month after making just three appearances this season.
White is now 23, and we can't help but feel that, like Ashby, time is running out for him to show something special.
We'd expect players to be knocking on Eddie Howe's door at 23/24, and if they aren't deemed to be good enough by that point, it should be time to move them on and focus on more young talent. Lewis Miley is still only 19, and it's his third season with the first team. It can be done.
