Newcastle's potential stars of the future have been urged to follow the example of Sammy Ameobi and Shane Ferguson.

Midfielder Ameobi, the younger brother of striker Shola, and full-back Ferguson have forced their way into Alan Pardew's squad this season after progressing through the ranks.

Now as the Magpies look to invest heavily in the search for budding talent, academy manager Joe Joyce believes the elevated status enjoyed by some of his most recent graduates means he does not have to sell the dream to the youngsters hoping to follow in their footsteps.

Joyce said: "That sells it more than any words I can say to them.

"When they see a Sammy Ameobi or a Shane Ferguson, boys who they have actually trained with and worked with in this environment, now appearing on the first-team stage, that sells it much more than I can."

Newcastle's academy has enjoyed success in recent years with the likes of Shola Ameobi, Steven Taylor, Tim Krul and Andy Carroll having made the journey from the junior ranks through to the first team.

While owner Mike Ashley is keen to build upon the success the club has enjoyed in snapping up talented, young overseas players such as Cheick Tiote, Yohan Cabaye and Demba Ba in recent years, he is also pouring money into the club's youth set-up.

The Magpies are hoping to be granted category one academy status, which will allow them to recruit not just from within the north-east region, but the whole country as they attempt to build for a sustainable future.

Joyce's role is to supply genuine first-team players, and he enjoys a close working relationship with manager Pardew.

Joyce said: "Obviously, the manager's job with the first team is a huge task, but he loves to be kept informed about the players, he loves to know when they have been to tournaments and how they have done in tournaments.

"We had a group who won a tournament at the end of last season, and he made sure that group of players went across, watched the first team play and had lunch with the first team.

"He is so supportive of what we are trying to do."

Newcastle opened up their academy at Little Benton to the media yesterday to illustrate their ongoing investment in the future.

It is all very different from the days when under-18s coach Dave Watson, who played for Norwich, Everton and England, launched his career.

Watson said: "Facility-wise, it's unbelievable. This is like a hotel. You could come and spend a day here.

"If I brought my mates up here now, they would think I had brought them on holiday somewhere.

"It's absolutely fantastic and the kids are very, very lucky these days."