Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy also featured when Newcastle suffered a Premier League defeat to Everton under former manager Eddie Howe last February.
However, the line-up fielded at Murrayfield bore little resemblance to that evening, reflecting a summer of significant transition on Tyneside. Eight of the eleven starters were aged 25 or under, with captain Joelinton and Yoane Wissa, both 29, the only senior figures in the XI.
Key personnel such as Dan Burn, Lewis Miley, and Tino Livramento remain sidelined—though the trio are unlikely to all be fit for the season opener against Liverpool—underscoring the pressing need for further recruitment.
That reality was not lost on sporting director Ross Wilson, who watched from the stands, nor on head coach Fabian Jaissle. The German highlighted a leadership “vacuum” for the second time in as many days, referencing the departures of Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon, and Kieran Trippier earlier in the window.
“You cannot change things really quickly,” Jaissle said. “It’s a really young team at the moment so there are vacuums where players need to step up. We fill these positions we lost with experienced players, but that’s also the process.”
Newcastle remain active in the market for a right-back and an experienced central midfielder, with the possibility of further additions depending on Jaissle’s evaluation before the window closes on 1 September.
With only a handful of friendlies remaining before Liverpool visit St James’ Park, time is at a premium. “If you make new signings at the end of the transfer window, they usually need time,” Jaissle added. “Usually it takes time to adapt to the Premier League. Those are all things we consider, but we are all still positive. We all want to go in the right direction. We have these goals and there’s many stones along the way thrown in that path, but we need to get rid of them.”