England U17 striker Adam Armstrong is hoping that his rise through the youth ranks at Newcastle United will not go unnoticed by first-team manager Alan Pardew.
The 17-year-old has grabbed the headlines during the Magpies' FA Youth Cup run as his five goals have helped them to reach the last eight, his latest strike coming against Derby on Sunday.
Armstrong has been named among the substitutes by Pardew for the recent Premier League matches with Norwich City, Sunderland and Chelsea, and as they head into Sunday’s match with Aston Villa having not scored for 360 minutes, the youngster will be hoping he’ll get his chance to end the drought.
On his recent call-up to the seniors and his Youth Cup exploits, Armstrong said: “It’s a dream for me.
Armstrong has seven goals in five games for England U17s
“Even playing and training, and being around the first-team squad has been massive for me this season.
“Loads of people have made a name for themselves in the FA Youth Cup.
“Hopefully I can do the same and so can the lads.”
At the weekend against Derby he waltzed around the opposition defence before firing home, and the club’s academy coach Dave Watson told NUFC.co.uk that he is delighted with his progress.
He said: “We’ve seen it in training and seen different things in games.
“So if it was another player who’d done it I’d say it was a little bit of luck.
“But it’s certainly not with Adam. He’s got it in his locker.”
Armstrong will be hoping to continue his goalscoring form for his country. He has hit seven goals in five goals for the U17s and will be looking to add to that tally when England travel to Czech Republic next month for their European Championship Elite Round qualifiers.
