Munda 'looking to bounce back' ahead of Leeds trip | OneFootball

Following Tuesday night's Bristol Street Motors Trophy defeat against Mansfield Town, exiting the competition in the process, the young Magpies are back on the road when facing their Whites counterparts at Thorp Arch, aiming for back-to-back league away wins.

Munda, who signed his first professional contract with his boyhood club last summer, reflected on United's 3-0 loss against the League One outfit and is hoping to use the disappointment to his advantage heading into upcoming fixtures.

The 18-year-old, who has represented England at under-18 level, told newcastleunited.com: "Playing against a men's team, I thought the performance against Mansfield was good and we had a lot of chances in both halves but we were just unable to put them away.

"All the boys hoped to go through if we'd won but we now need to put that aside and all the frustration we had in not going through must be put into Friday's game.

"We haven't had the greatest results recently but we're looking to bounce back and put that right by trying to get a strong result.

"The performances have still been good and moving onto the game at Leeds, it's about trying to put both in hand with a good result to go with a good performance."

The Cowgate-born teenager, who made his first-team debut for Eddie Howe's side in a pre-season friendly victory against Hull City in July 2024, has relished the healthy competition for places in United's under-21 side so far this term.

Primarily a central midfielder, the promising youngster joined United's Academy at the age of nine and is determined to continue his steady progression through the Magpies' youth ranks.

"It's a bit different to what I've been used to coming through the Academy," he added. "It's something I'll have to adapt to, not getting too frustrated if I'm not playing but if you want to play, you need to be at your best everyday and in every game.

"It's about being on top of what I'm doing and being the best player I can be. The team does get rotated quite a bit with a lot of games in a short space of time so everyone needs to be ready and, when you're on the pitch, you have to perform."