“Had been told..” - Craig Hope drops worrying NUFC claim that’ll leave fans annoyed - opinion

A key Newcastle United transfer update has emerged on outcast duo Ciaran Clark and Jamal Lewis… 

Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope has issued doubt over any further outgoings for the club’s reserve players following the end of the transfer window.

He initially Tweeted: “As of yesterday, Hendrick, Clark & Lewis had been told they’re not in 25. Hendrick left on loan, the others stayed despite offers. The extra man could be an injured player such as Hayden.”

In reply to a fan asking whether they would be able to leave on loan, the reporter said:

“Only to foreign markets where the window remains open (Turkey, for example). But I think that’s unlikely.”

This claim from Hope will surely leave fans annoyed for multiple reasons.

From a financial point of view, it is a worrying waste of money for the club. They are now set to pay these players a hefty sum of money at the end of the month with no chance of getting any value back from them on the pitch as they are unable to be involved in any capacity.

You could argue that they may still have a positive impact in the dressing room or in training, but that is information we are not privy to. The cold hard fact is that the Magpies are going to be paying them for making no visible contribution between now and the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

From a player perspective, fans will be frustrated that they are wasting their careers for the next five months or so – particularly in Lewis’ case. Clark, at the age of 32, is in the latter stages of his playing days and this break may not have much of an impact on his development, but the Northern Ireland international is only 24 and will now go months without competitive football.

Instead of playing regular minutes at the first-team level, Lewis