19 Things We Learned From Steve McClaren's BBC Radio Newcastle Interview

8. There's Been No Bid For Charlie Austin, But He Has Been On The Club's Radar

"We haven't made a bid for Charlie, I can say that as a board member. QPR (Queens Park Rangers) have been relegated, he has one year left on his contract so all the attention is on Charlie. "The club has been looking all season and Charlie has been mentioned before, but also the boy (Aleksandar) Mitrovic has been on the club's radar. And when we weighed up, it's kind of about availability and timing, and the club have been tremendous with Mitrovic. You know what 20-21-year-old, this boy is going to have a great future. We've seen that already."

It certainly seems like it was a case of one or the other when it came to United's two primary striking targets this summer, with the younger model getting the nod. Would there be room for Austin in United's attack? Is he too similar to both Mitrovic and Papiss Cisse? He probably is. If Newcastle are looking for another forward they should be seeking a new Craig Bellamy, just the 10 years after the Welshman left St James' Park.