Steve Bruce has made the decision not to include Jack Colback, Achraf Lazaar, Rolando Aarons, Henri Saivet & Jamie Sterry in his 25-man Premier League squad for the coming season.
Chris Waugh reports that the five players will now be expected to move on before the close of the European transfer window, with moves to Italy and Scotland mooted for some.
Aarons is perhaps the biggest surprise of them all after featuring so heavily in pre-season under Bruce, so is this the end of the road for them at Newcastle?
A number of fans have taken to Twitter to vent their confusion at the decision to leave the winger out of the squad.
Twitter: @ChrisDHWaugh Aaron’s must have thought he was in (@DanToon4Life)
Twitter: @ChrisDHWaugh Why did Aaron’s play so much in pre season? (@dangraham9)
Twitter: @SkySports_Keith Atsu over Aarons is a joke (@David_B_HU)
Twitter: @NUFC Wow congrats Matty Longstaff! Feel bad for Aarons though got to be tough one to take he’s played well. (@McGuettaToo)
Twitter: @SkySports_Keith Aarons played well too. Shame he didn’t make it over Atsu (@ToonArmy757)
Read Newcastle verdict
Out of all the players, you really have to feel for Aarons. The other four do not come as too much of a surprise, but it looked like the former was about to get his chance to nail down a spot in the first-team squad.
This has left supporters scratching their heads a little. Why did he feature so heavily in pre-season? Is there more to this than meets the eye?
Ultimately, Bruce must have seen something that he wasn’t particularly keen on, despite also working with the player at Sheffield Wednesday.
It’s a decision that has surprised many and for the five players involved, it’s hard to see any route back into the Newcastle first-team going forward. While they may not all leave permanently over the course of the coming days, it’s hard to picture where there’s a future for them at St James’ in the long run.
