10 Players You Didn't Know Were On Trial At Newcastle United

10. Alan Shearer

Yes that's right. Despite the age old story that Newcastle allowed a player who grew up on the local bus route to the stadium slip away, costing them £15 million some years later, it was actually down to his failure to impress in a trial rather than a massive oversight. Well. Sort of. The Alan Shearer who appeared as a 15 year at Newcastle, wasn't quite the same as the one who went on to become the greatest goalscorer of his generation, in that he was there as a goalkeeper. The club, understandably not seeing much of a future for him as one, passed up the opportunity to take him on as a schoolboy and Shearer eventually moved to both the opposite end of the country and the opposite end of the pitch with Southampton. Given the success he enjoyed as a number 9 throughout his entire career it seems absolutely baffling that, even at 15, Alan Shearer of all people didn't know his best position. Or maybe he did and the coaching staff just interpreted his trademark one-arm-aloft celebration as an attempt to make a save. "He's no good that keeper" they'll have said, "he's running *away* from the goal". Went on to: Win the Premier League with Blackburn, 30 goals for England, Newcastle's record goalscorer. Not considered as good as: Gary Kelly, Kevin Carr, Martin Thomas.