Ryan Fraser joins Newcastle bomb squad as Eddie Howe freezes out Scotland star with summer exit inevitable

Scotland winger Ryan Fraser looks set for an exit from Newcastle United in the summer months - with the diminutive star being forced to train with the Magpies' under-21 squad.

The Scotland international joined Newcastle on a free transfer in the summer of 2020 after running his contract down with Bournemouth following a series of impressive performances at the Vitality Stadium. When former Cherries boss Eddie Howe was appointed as manager in November 2021, it was assumed that Fraser would experience increased game time on the north east coast under the guidance of his ex-gaffer.

But with just three starts so far this season and only 311 minutes of Premier League football under his beltt, Fraser has reportedly grown dismayed with the lack of football on offer, with his last appearance for the Toon coming in October. The signing of Anthony Gordon in January pushed him further down the pecking order - and the Daily Mail claims that Fraser has now been banished from first-team training, instead joining up with the youngsters as Howe freezes his former star out of the first-team picture with a move in summer now increasingly likely.

The report states that Newcastle see Fraser's future elsewhere, with a summer switch favoured by both club and player. Howe formerly revealed that he did not bear any grudges with Fraser after he refused to sign a short-term deal at Bournemouth at the end of the COVID-19 ravaged season of 2019/20 - in a bid to avoid injury so that he could move on elsewhere, which eventually saw him opt for St. James' Park.

A January exit was mooted in recent weeks, though a deal with other clubs to secure his signature never came to fruition - and with Newcastle now focused entirely on a Carabao Cup title and a