Steve Bruce has promoted Remi Savage to train with the first-team as Newcastle United prepare to face Watford in the Premier League on Saturday, according to Chronicle Live.
The Toon travel down south to Vicarage Road, still in search of their first win of the season. Bruce’s men claimed just their second point of the term so far with a 1-1 draw with Leeds last Friday. Coming from behind to deny Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites’ their first three-points.
Newcastle will have to make changes to their line-up at Watford, though, as captain Jamaal Lascelles missed training on Thursday. Bruce has confirmed the defender sustained a thigh injury during the Leeds clash and will now miss a few weeks.
After running the rule over Newcastle’s U23s earlier in the week, Bruce has allowed Savage to train with the first-team. The centre-half joined the Magpies’ academy from Liverpool in the summer and has been a fixture of their development side.
Savage has started all five of the Magpies’ Premier League Two Division Two fixtures ahead of facing Fulham on Friday. He also assisted against Birmingham and opened their defeat in the EFL Trophy at Sheffield Wednesday last month.
Who else has Bruce called up?
Bruce has also called up Joe White, Jack Young and Elliot Anderson from Newcastle’s U23s to train with the first-team. The Toon boss kept a close eye on how White and Anderson performed while United faced Stoke on Monday.
The North East outfit lost 3-2 to the Potters, with Anderson scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot. The 18-year-old was making only his second appearance of the season, while White has started all five PL2 games. He did not feature at Sheffield Wednesday.
What will Savage offer Newcastle and Bruce?
Savage seemingly left an impression on Bruce when the Newcastle boss watched the U23s on Monday. He has now taken a closer look at the 19-year-old in training, as the Magpies prepare to face Watford.
Minutes at Vicarage Road may be unlikely, even without Lascelles available, but a seat on the bench is possible. Savage has shown his potential in the development side and joined Newcastle from Liverpool to further his first-team chances.
The Liverpool-born enforcer never made a senior squad during his time at Anfield. But cut a regular role in the Reds’ U18s and U23s, and impressed youth boss Barry Lewtas.
“I thought Remi was excellent,” Lewtas told LiverpoolFC.com after beating Sunderland last year. “I thought the way Remi headed the ball and marshalled the backline was brilliant. They went direct and it was tough, but Remi stood up to it. He allows us to play from the back and that was a really good day for him.”
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