Benitez faces work to whittle down giant pre-season squad
NEWCASTLE United are facing the prospect of an overcrowded locker room on July 3 when the squad returns to Benton for pre-season training.
A total of 34 first-team players are schedule to return with the Magpies unable to find moves for the clutch of players they believe can be moved on this summer.
That number could rise again if Yoan Gouffran agrees to the new deal United offered him last week.
Having off-loaded Kevin Mbabu last week to BSC Young Boys, the Magpies are trying to cut down the number of squad players.
Yet as it stands, all six of the first-team squad members loaned out last season will be back in two weeks.
That means Tim Krul, Adam Armstrong, Freddie Woodman, Manu Riviere, Henri Saivet and Siem De Jong will all start pre-season training with the Magpies.
Whether some players are sent to train with the under-23s this summer remains to be seen.
That was the case last summer when Rafa Benitez ordered out-of-favour Sammy Ameobi, Haris Vuckic and Curtis Good to train at the club’s academy.
Benitez made it clear very early into his reign he does not like too many players at the senior base of United, and quickly sent the under-23 squad to train at Little Benton where the academy players are based. Despite Newcastle’s lack of
signings, there is still plenty of work to be done when it comes to getting the squad down to 25 players in time for the Premier League’s September 1 deadline.
Those Premier League rules state: “After the closing of the summer transfer window each Premier League club had a deadline of 4.00 on September 1 to submit a squad list containing no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the ‘home-grown player’ (HGP) criteria.
“The remainder of the squad, up to a total of 25 players, must be homegrown.
“An HGP means a player who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21).
“Changes to the squad list of 25 may be made during the period of a transfer window.
“Under-21 players are eligible over and above the limit of 25 players per squad.
“For the 2016/17 campaign under-21 players will have been born on or after January 1 995.
“Each club squad list is below as well as an additional list of each club’s registered under-21 players who are eligible over and above the squad limit of 25 players.”