The Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Hartlepool youngsters set to follow in Jordan Henderson and Alan Shearer's footsteps
By Benjamin Painter
Published 25th Mar 2019, 16:02 GMT
Updated 25th Mar 2019, 16:03 GMT
Which Sunderland youngsters could follow in Jordan Henderson's footsteps?
The North East has produced some fantastic talents over the years with England Internationals Jordan Pickford, Alan Shearer, Jordan Henderson and Michael Carrick all coming from clubs in the area.
Here we examine 12 of the brightest young prospects from Sunderland, Newcastle United, Hartlepool United and Middlesbrough that could go on to bigger things in the future:
After signing from Sunderland in 2016 from Swedish side IK Sirius, Mbunga-Kimpioka made his debut in 2018 and has been a regular for the Black Cat under 23s.
A winger with bags of pace he has made two appearances in League One this season and the Sunderland fans should expect more from the forward in the future.
Kioso joined Pools in the summer from Dunstable Town and slotted straight into the defence, regularly putting in solid performances at the back. He is surely destined for great things.
Son of former Middlesbrough goalkeeper Stephen Pears, Aynsley has been Gatesheads regular goalkeeper this term. Keeping 11 clean sheets in 37 National League appearances, Pears form has been impeccable.
This term, the midfielder has only featured eight times for the first team, but now at 17 years of age, he has a very bright future and should be in the Black Cats' long-term plans.
An attacking midfielder, Hawkes has been the main man for Pools, regularly scoring from the spot and proving to be a real threat in the middle of the park. Many clubs have been linked with a move.
