Newcastle United 0-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach - Player Ratings

9. Gabriel Obertan - 5.5 (Replaced By Rolando Aarons After 62 Minutes)

Newcastle supporters' frustrations with Gabriel Obertan look unlikely to abate anytime soon - yet the early indications are that Steve McClaren actually quite likes the Frenchman. Against Borussia, Obertan tried his heart out and in the opening 20 minutes was arguably Newcastle's best player, but his end product is severely lacking. He had the home side's first opportunity after 10 minutes when he broke well down the left, cut inside and then lashed a right-footed effort just past the post, but unfortunately other than that he tended to waste promising positions by giving the ball away.

Rolando Aarons - 6.5

A rare spark of life off the bench, the youngster made a couple of darting runs and almost won his side a penalty when he advanced into the area with the ball. Used sparingly by Steve McClaren to date - possibly to nurture the slight knock he took against York City - Aarons deserves to start the Southampton game because he really brings a sense of urgency and directness to the Magpies' attack.