TOONPRE-SEASON
arriving from Palermo, Serie A could be his most likely destination as Newcastle look to clear squad space for new arrivals. Another player told he can leave. Newcastle thought they’d succeeded in moving him out to St Etienne but the player opted against the move when failing to agree personal terms. Ritchie is one of Benitez’s most reliable players and despite cautiously feeling his way through pre-season after a knock, he will still be regarded as a starter today. Netted a superb free-kick against Wolfsburg and is always a threat going forward. The man signed from Chelsea has been one of Newcastle’s best players in pre-season. Has looked strong and full of running and demonstrated a goal threat with two strikes under his belt this summer. Arranged his own summer training camp in Portugal and his hard work is paying off. Has looked slick in pre-season and pulled the strings throughout the summer. Easily Newcastle’s best ballplaying midfielder. Has looked sharp in the tackle during pre-season but is facing a battle to get into the engine room alongside Shelvey. Has Merino breathing down his neck but might just edge it on minutes played. Pinged a lovely ball forward against Has looked sharp and most importantly fit after a couple of seasons of injury worries. Aarons, though, faces a tough battle to get into the starting line-up and Newcastle are currently considering loaning him out if they right deal comes along. No longer guaranteed a place in the starting line-up and is battling to make it into the squad of 25. Wants to fight for his career on Tyneside but will be sold if any offers come in. Aston Villa tried and failed to sign him earlier this summer. Caused a ripple of excitement when winning a couple of tackles against Heart of Midlothian in the first pre-season friendly. But he is currently for sale. However, while Benitez may still consider keeping him on board as a squad player he will be sold if his agent can find him a move. Hard to judge the youngster on just one appearance but his next step is likely to be a loan move to the EFL. The £10m man has looked bright in pre-season and demonstrated he has goals in him. His arrival has left Rolando Aarons’ future looking uncertain. Benitez trusts Diame and is seriously considering starting him as number 10 against Spurs. Has had plenty of minutes in pre-season but slots easily into the steady but unspectacular bracket. The Dutchman has the right attitude and will never cause a manager any issues as far as discipline is concerned. His through ball to Gayle at Hearts showed what a great passer he is, but the question mark for De Jong is whether he can handle the rough stuff in the Premier League. De Jong’s injury record in England suggests he can’t. The Spaniard continues to make progress and with 25 competitive goals in his locker in the first team he can be relied upon by Benitez. Benitez likes Perez because of his ability to take information on board and his versatility in the final third. If he’s not scoring goals, he’s getting into positions and coming close. Gayle is Newcastle’s main goal threat but has struggled with a hamstring niggle in the latter part of pre-season. Still has a big fan base but Newcastle’s struggles in the transfer window are the main reason why Mitrovic is still here. The fact he scored just four goals in the Championship is a cause for concern for United’s back-room team, and he will be sold if the right bid comes in. For all that, Mitrovic has got his head down in pre-season and scored three times. With Gayle touch and go with a hamstring problem, Mitrovic is still close to the action. The former Monaco man doesn’t qualify for a mark because he hasn’t played a single second of action. However, he remains Newcastle’s third choice centre-forward because the club have not signed a new goalscorer. That situation alone sums up Newcastle’s plight this summer – not to mention Benitez’s clear frustration with recruitment. Throw in the fact Riviere is earning £45,000 per week and you can see why Benitez is so unhappy with his options up front.