Cumbrian teenager Johnny Emerson has spoken of his excitement at signing a professional deal with Newcastle United.

Emerson, from Brampton, is one of a number of young players handed pro terms by the Magpies after coming through the ranks.

The 18-year-old winger, from Brampton, is rated highly at Newcastle having joined the Premier League club for the last five years.

He was previously on the youth books of Annan Athletic and Queen of the South, having played junior football in Carlisle.

The former William Howard School boy, who is also a Scotland under-19 international, has said he is inspired by fellow Newcastle products such as Joe White, the Carlisle-born midfielder who made his Premier League debut last season.

“Signing my first professional contract is a dream for me," he told the Newcastle website, having put pen to paper on the deal he was offered at the end of last season.

"My whole life, from the day I was born, has been 100 per cent football so it’s very special for me because it’s something me and my family have worked towards, and [to] do it with such a massive club like Newcastle is an honour, especially with the way the club is going.

“Being at the academy since 2019, and first coming on trial, I think it was quite different from starting at a boys club in Carlisle called Northbank to then moving to play in Scotland for Annan and Queen of the South and then coming to Newcastle, having my parents drive me an hour four to five times a week from Brampton...

"I think it’s all helped me to be the player and person I am today.

“Seeing people who have progressed through to the first-team from the academy like Lewis Miley and Joe White has been very inspiring because it shows it’s possible and the pathway is there if I do all the right things.

"The goal is to try and and follow a similar pathway as Lewis because, ultimately, he’s living our dreams by playing in the Premier League and Champions League."

Emerson is joined by Aidan Harris, Dylan Charlton, Anthony Munda, Harry and Rory Powell, Sean Neave, Scott Bailey, Josh Donaldson, Adam Harrison and Darren Palmer in signing a pro deal having come through Newcastle's academy.