KILMARNOCK starlet Charlie McArthur has joined Newcastle United.

The 17-year-old has joined the Premier League giants for an undisclosed fee.

Coming up through Killie's academy, the centre-back made his first team debut last term in the SPFL Trust Trophy aged just 16.

He put in a man of the match display and earned rave reviews from far and wide. 

The defender is very highly-rated and currently captains Scotland's U17s sides.

Several EPL clubs were keen on McArthur, but the Ayrshire lad has committed his future to Newcastle.

Derek McInnes said: “We understood, like all Scottish clubs, that we’re vulnerable to the richest league in the world with all the money that is available there.

“Ideally Charlie, as a Kilmarnock supporter, would have played 100 games for the Kilmarnock first team and we would have gotten a lot of satisfaction in seeing that.

“Unfortunately for us, a bigger club has come along and identified he’s a good player, which he is. The move was something that Charlie was keen on so once we established that with his agents, then it was all about us getting the fee that we wanted, which thankfully we did.

“We wish Charlie all the best. He’s a great kid and he’s someone we’ve really been impressed with in the short time that I’ve been here.

“You can see exactly why Newcastle would want to bring him into their system and we’ll look out for him and hope he does well there. He will always be welcome back at Rugby Park.”