Another 10 Newcastle United players return to training four and a half weeks before new season | OneFootball

On Friday (1 July), Eddie Howe and the Newcastle United players returned to the training ground.

With the new season kicking off in only five weeks time, a congested season with a World Cup in the middle, means there has never been a more important time to get preparations right and hit the new season running.

Saturday (9 July) sees Newcastle United already playing their first pre-season friendly, behind closed doors against Gateshead, there then follows a week away in Austria and another couple of friendlies included in that trip, playing 1860 Munich (Friday 15 July) and Mainz (Monday 18 July).

Looking through the gallery of images and other photos / video released by the club on social media, we spotted the following 23 Newcastle United players there on the first day of pre-season:

Martin Dubravka, Mark Gillespie

Kell Watts, Dan Burn, Jamaal Lascelles, Matt Targett, Paul Dummett, Federico Fernandez, Jamal Lewis

Joe Willock, Jonjo Shelvey, Joelinton, Matty Longstaff, Sean Longstaff,

Allan Saint-Maximin, Matt Ritchie, Ryan Fraser, Jacob Murphy

Callum Wilson

As well as those 19 first team squad players, there were four from last season’s Under 23 group also pictured, bringing the total up to 23. These were Isaac Westendorf, Joe Oliver, Lucas De Bolle and Jay Turner-Cooke.

Eddie Howe has now confirmed when those who have been on international duty are set to join those above, the Newcastle United Head Coach telling NUFC TV:

“We plan to get them (Newcastle United players who have been on international duty this summer) back in (at the training ground) on Wednesday.

“I gave them extended time off due to their exertions (for their countries) in the summer.

“We look forward to seeing them.”

Having counted up, I make it ten Newcastle United players who will have been allowed extra time off:

Chris Wood, Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Nick Pope, Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar, Jeff Hendrick, Emil Krafth, Elliot Anderson, Miguel Almiron

So these players returning just four and a half weeks ahead of the new season.

Then there was this quartet who we also couldn’t see in any of the official photos etc on Friday at the training ground:

Ciaran Clark, Javier Manquillo, Karl Darlow, Dwight Gayle

We are now on day 25 of the 84 days of the transfer window, so plenty of time for Newcastle United players to head in and out of the club, but a hectic time ahead as no doubt Eddie Howe and everybody else at the club will want as much as possible sorted ahead of the new season.

That last quartet who couldn’t be seen (at least by us!) in any of the official releases, maybe no coincidence, as very likely those four Newcastle United players will be finding new clubs.

The first big indication of who will be in (and out) of Eddie Howe’s thoughts for the new season, will be the Newcastle United players who fly out to Austria. That will be in no more than a week and a half’s time, so hopefully the head coach will have as many of his intended NUFC first team squad for next season, on that plane.