Newcastle Boss McClaren HAS NOT Told Anyone They Can Leave

McClaren has denied reports he has told players they can find pastures new this summer.

Steve McClaren has denied that he has told any player they are surplus to requirements at Newcastle United, claiming he is "pleased" with his current squad. Various reports in recent days have suggested that McClaren has put as many as five first-team players up for sale this summer, although the Magpies head coach has denied this. Mike Williamson, Yoan Gouffran, Gael Bigirimana, Haris Vuckic and Mehdi Abeid are just some of the squad members who have allegedly been told they can leave, but McClaren has refuted that this is the case.

McClaren, speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Newcastle's trip to Swansea City on Saturday (3pm kick-off), said when asked about his players' futures (NUFCTV, paywall):
"No, no-one's been told anything (about being free to move on). I've got my squad and I'm pleased with that. "The players are working hard and they're disappointed obviously if they're not playing, if they're not on the bench - that's normal. But they've been professional in carrying on with their jobs and there's two weeks of the window to go where a lot of things can change. "Can they expect to change here? I couldn't tell you "yes" or "no". Just at the present moment we go on with what we've got."
The last statement suggests that McClaren will look to offload at least a couple of players, particularly if further additions are made, before the transfer window shuts. So will the Newcastle squad look significantly different by the beginning of September? For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCulture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.

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Contributor

NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.