Kevin Keegan spotted at the Etihad as Newcastle already find 'huge' players he would have loved

No one needs a second invitation to watch this Man City side, but it is not every day that 3,000 Geordies rock up in East Manchester, too. Was it any wonder, then, that Kevin Keegan made the short journey from his home in Hale to the Etihad on Sunday to witness Newcastle's United's 5-0 defeat against City and see that away end in all its glory?

Keegan was sat just a few rows behind watching owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi in the directors' box as the former Newcastle and Man City boss took in the game with friend Sir Brendan Foster. However brief, or otherwise, you suspect the quartet's paths will have surely crossed at some point.

The club's owners, after all, have been keen to speak to a number club legends, including Alan Shearer and David Ginola, to tap into their expertise. This is not a token gesture; the hierarchy genuinely want to reconnect with a host of club greats who felt ostracised during the Ashley era.

At a time when the powers at be are working on sponsorship deals behind the scenes, in a bid to increase revenues, Keegan would be the perfect ambassador to sell the club across the globe. Whether such a role in football would even interest Keegan at this stage of his life remains to be seen, but the 71-year-old clearly did not want to pass up an opportunity to see his former side play in the flesh.

Newcastle still have an awful lot of work to do to even come close to emulating Keegan's great Entertainers side, but two key players have now returned who will play their part in that quest in Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson. It has been a long time since Newcastle have been able to introduce two England internationals from the bench, but that is exactly what Eddie Howe did in the 68th minute