With pre-season in full swing, Eddie Howe will be not only looking at his first team players when planning for the new season, he will also look to the academy to see if any of the graduates are able to break into the first team and play a part in their campaign next season.

But who are the players he will be focusing on?

Elliot Anderson

Elliot Anderson is perhaps the most well known Newcastle United Academy player. 

Anderson is a 19 year old attacking midfielder. He spent last season on loan at Joey Barton's Bristol Rovers in which he scored the key 7th goal in the game they won promotion.

He also scored 8 goals and got 5 assists in the 21 games after joining Rovers in January. 

Anderson has also made two first team substitute appearances for the first team, both against Arsenal. One in the league, one in the cup. In both he put in very assured performances and never panicked on the ball. 

Anderson can play both as a 10, but also out wide on the left. He has a very good touch and dribbling ability. His main attributes are his close control dribbling and his weight of pass. He likes to run games with most attacking moves going through him at Rovers. 

Many Newcastle fans questioned the fact he was loaned to a League 2 club last season as many believed he should be at least one division higher. Will that effect his transition into the first team?

Anderson is definitely someone who a lot of Newcastle fans will be keeping an eye on this pre-season. 

Kelland Watts

Kelland Watts is a 22 year old centre back. He stands at 1.92m tall and spent last season out on loan at Wigan Athletic.

Kelland is very well travelled for a youth player, making over 100 EFL appearances, including 70 in League 1. 

His most recent loan spell way very successful. He won the league with Wigan as they got promoted to The Championship. 

At Wigan, Kelland played in both a back 4 and back 5, which shows his versatility. In the most recent friendly against Gateshead, in which Watts was the only player to play the full 90 minutes. He played both in the left, partnering Jamal Lascelles. As well as on the right, partnering Dan Burn. Again showing he is very adaptable. 

He is also left footed. Left footed centre backs are very sought after in the modern day game, with many teams looking to play out from the back, having a left footer and a right footer at the back it opens up many more passing lanes then if it was just two right footers. As Eddie Howe is trying to bring a more footballing philosophy to Newcastle this is an attribute he will like a lot.

In terms of playstyle, Watts is very good on the ball and is a modern day centre half. His ability to win his duals both in the air and on the ground. And while his longer passing could be improved, his ability to shuffle the ball across the backline and into midfield is very good.

At the age of 22 this could be Watts final chance to break into the first team at Newcastle. However in my opinion, with the lack of quality depth at centre half he could play an important role if injuries occur.

Joe White

Joe White is a dynamic centre midfielder. He spent last season on loan at Hartlepool where he made 15 league appearances since joining in January and got 3 assists.  

Goals and assists do not tell the story of Joe White however. At just 19, he is a very cultured player and likes to run games. His passing range is his main attribute both long and short he liked to keep the midfield ticking over. 

There were question marks over the young midfielders physicality, however his loan move to Hartlepool showed that he can handle the mens game.

With the midfield being a position Howe is unlikely to strengthen this summer, this could mean he could look to the academy to bulk up his options and with much competition from players like Jack Young and Luke De Bolle, White will have to show his class this pre-season to show Howe his ability.

Dylan Stephenson

Dylan Stephenson is perhaps the most unknown player on this list. Having had a breakout season for the U23's being their main man up top. 

Dylan has not had a loan move away from the club yet but has been impressing a lot in the u23's which lead to him being called up to train with the first team.

He is a very quick and dynamic striker who can also play on the wing. He loves the ball played in behind to run on too and has a very powerful strike. 

But while he can do it for the U23's, there are question marks over weather that can transfer into the first team. So a loan move may be more suited. 

However with the lack of depth up front, he may be called into action as the season progresses.