After Birmingham City & Wolves made summer transfers, the Newcastle United duo’s explained.

Last summer, the young duo enrolled in Newcastle United’s academy.
The England under-17 team has called up Newcastle United academy players Trevan Sanusi and Leo Shahar for this month’s international matches.

The young players were anticipated to play in Monday’s under-21 Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland. They appeared in the second half of the under-18s’ 4-2 loss to Stoke City on Saturday.
But after flying south to train with the young Lions ahead of their European Championship qualification tripleheader against Northern Ireland, Hungary, and France at St George’s Park, neither player was present for the 3-2 victory.

Sanusi reportedly had interest from Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City before joining Newcastle from Birmingham City in the summer.

The 16-year-old has since made 22 appearances for the academy, mostly with the under-18s. However, in recent weeks, he has advanced to the under-21s.

Shahar, who has also played for the club’s second string, has experienced something similar. The 17-year-old full-back, who spent ten years as a kid with Wolverhampton Wanderers, also joined last summer.

“Since joining Newcastle, I’ve been loving it and I think I’ve settled in very quickly,” Shahar said in an opening statement on the move. The guys at the academy are all fantastic, and they have assisted me in getting started with this fantastic football team.

“I knew a few of the lads before I signed and that only helps our relationships on and off the pitch, benefiting the team as a whole as we’re able to connect more.”

“I had been with Wolves since I was six years old, so I knew it would be tough to leave a team that I had spent so much time with, but the prospect of being able to play in the Youth League and represent the under-21 team struck me as really appealing. I was eager to accept it.

As they head to Cyprus for the finals this summer, both players will be vying for a berth in the England under-17 team.