Newcastle Utd News

“Ashley doesn’t need to sell” – Top pundit plays down Newcastle ‘crisis’ as stars linked with exit

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Top pundit and former England right-back Danny Mills has played down the talk of a ‘crisis’ at Newcastle in an interview with Football Insider, after several United first-team stars were touted to be leaving the Magpies following Rafa Benitez’s exit.

Isaac Hayden is one who is thought to see the Spaniard’s departure as a boost to his hopes of finding a new club this summer, having informed United chiefs at the end of the recent term that he wants to move back down south for personal reasons.

Martin Dubravka and Fabian Schar, likewise, have been tipped to see the boss’ departure when his contract expires at the end of the month as reason to at least listen to potential offers, while Federico Fernandez publically criticised the board’s handling of the 59-year-old’s situation.

Football Insider now add that Jamaal Lascelles, Jonjo Shelvey and Miguel Almiron may also find themselves subjected to bids this summer, with the Paraguayan also emerging as a potential target for Real Madrid.

Ayoze Perez, though, was the big name player muted as seeing Benitez’s exit as reason to leave the Magpies and has recently been speaking openly over his desires to secure a move to Valencia.

However, Mills doubts many, if any, of our key players will look to secure moves away this summer, even if they saw a move to United in a good light because of Benitez’s position.

“I think they will be able to keep them,” he claimed. “They are not in a financial crisis where they need to sell. Mike Ashley is shrewd enough to look at it and run it as a business.

“Mike Ashley doesn’t need to sell, and can keep his best players. It then depends on which managers come in and who he wants.

“I don’t think there is a brilliant player at Newcastle who lots of top clubs will want. There’s no one in that squad who makes you say, ‘wow, he’s irreplaceable’. Who are the stars in that team?

“You have a nucleus of a decent squad, and it needs three or four quality signings this summer. There’s no one who can’t be replaced.”

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