ENGLAND-BORN Zimbabwean teenager Michael Ndiweni is set to continue his development at Newcastle United after signing a new deal with the English Premier League side ahead of the new season.
The promising 19-year-old forward initially signed his first professional contract at Newcastle United last year after rising through the club’s junior ranks.
With the contract set to expire at the end of this month, Newcastle United have extended Ndiweni's contract by another year, which gives him an opportunity to finally make his first team breakthrough.
The English club, which had a memorable season during the just ended Premier League season, also exercised the option on senior team player Amadou Diallo.
“United have activated options to extend the stays of Amadou Diallo and Michael Ndiweni,” Newcastle United announced in a statement on their website while confirming the club’s retained list of players for the 2023/24 season.
Ndiweni has mainly featured for Newcastle’s Under 21s, but trained with the senior team regularly in the past season.
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The 19-year-old, who joined Newcastle in 2016, was born in Throckley, England to Zimbabwean parents and is eligible to play for Zimbabwe or his country of birth in international football.
His father coaches youth football in Newcastle while his little brother, Ryan, is also part of the Newcastle United Under 18 set-up.
After joining United’s Academy from Newcastle City Juniors in 2016, Ndiweni progressed through the Magpies’ youth ranks before signing his first professional contract in the summer of 2022.
The teenage striker scored 14 goals in 19 matches for Newcastle’s under-18 squad last term as well as netting in the under-21s’ Papa John’s Trophy fixture away at League Two outfit Mansfield Town.
The speedy forward, who studied at St Cuthberts High School, netted three goals during the under-18s’ passage to the fifth round of last season’s FA Youth Cup and has trained with Newcastle’s first-team squad on a handful of occasions.
Ndiweni made his under-21s debut at the tender age of 16 after coming off the bench in a Tyne-Wear derby clash against local rivals Sunderland in October 2020.
He will be targeting a first team breakthrough next season with Newcastle expected to have a hectic schedule following their qualification for next season’s Uefa Champions League.