Peter Beardsley’s side travel to Gateshead on Saturday, having won 2-1 at Darlington earlier this week in their opening pre-season friendly.

Harker played the first half at the Northern Echo Arena, with goals from Sean Longstaff and Ivan Toney doing the damage for the Magpies.

The young stopper feels a tougher test lies in wait at the International Stadium but, with competition for a starting berth hotting up, thinks that his teammates will relish the chance to pit their wits against National League opposition.

“Gateshead are a strong side. They’ve been doing quite well. I think it’ll be a more challenging game than Darlington, but that’s why everyone should be looking forward to it,” he told nufc.co.uk.

“I thought the lads did well on Monday night. It is a big group, and everyone is playing for a place. Everyone wants to keep their spot in the team, but I thought that everyone did well considering it was our first game.”

18-year-old Harker – who made 10 appearances for United’s second string last term – admitted he was itching to return to action over the summer.

“It was good to have a break, but by the end I was missing it,” he said. “The time seemed to go slowly, and I wanted to get back to it as soon as possible.

“Playing with the Under-23s last season helped me prepare for this year, more than anything. I think it has really helped me develop as a player, as well.”

Tickets for Saturday’s friendly are priced at £10 for adults, £5 for concessions and £2 for Under-16s. Kick-off at the International Stadium is at 3pm.