Omar Marong and Alieu Saine fly to Tyneside ahead of potentially signing for Newcastle United

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Kickjolly · AI-written · automatically reviewed · The Mag ↗

Newcastle United is considering signing Omar Marong and Alieu Saine after the pair flew to Tyneside for a month-long trial. The duo, currently with the TMT Academy, are being evaluated by the club. Omar Marong is a 16-year-old central midfielder and captain of the Gambia Under 17s, while Alieu Saine is a winger who scored four goals in the WAFU A U-17 Tournament. The pair made headlines in September after helping Gambia win the tournament.

The pair's potential signing is part of Newcastle United's ongoing search for emerging talent at young ages, following the signing of Gambian winger Yankuba Minteh in June 2023. Minteh was 18 at the time and had played for Danish club Odense before joining Newcastle for a reported £7m transfer fee. He was later sold to Brighton for £33m after a year on loan at Feyenoord.

Gambian journalist Ebrima KB Sonko reported the news of Omar Marong and Alieu Saine's trip to Tyneside via Facebook, accompanied by a photo of the duo at Banjul International Airport. The pair are expected to spend a month with Newcastle United, after which the club will decide whether to sign them. Newcastle United now has a month to evaluate the raw talent of the duo at close quarters.