Newcastle frontman Allan Saint-Maximin was missing from the party which headed to Glasgow for Tuesday night’s friendly against Rangers amid speculation he could leave the club this summer.
Rumours have suggested the 26-year-old Frenchman, who joined the Magpies in a £16million move from Nice in August 2019, is a target for a Saudi Pro League club with some reports naming Al-Ahli as potential buyers.
The PA news agency understands Saint-Maximin, who earlier this summer posted a message on social media in which he said he was “entering a turning point in my career and I will give everything until the end to achieve my dreams”, will not be involved at Ibrox as his future is thrashed out.
Newcastle, who are 80 per cent owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, remain in negotiations with relegated Leicester over winger Harvey Barnes, but are being hampered by the constraints imposed by Financial Fair Play regulations after investing in excess of £300million in the last four transfer windows.
Head coach Eddie Howe has insisted he does not want to lose any of his senior players and name-checked Saint-Maximin in his post-match comments after Saturday’s pre-season friendly at Gateshead amid ongoing speculation.
However, the crowd favourite is one of the few players inherited by Howe who would command a sizeable fee and with frustration mounting at the lack of tangible progress since the £53million capture of AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali earlier this month, the 45-year-old is having to brace himself.
Despite the wealth of their owners and the new revenue stream they have opened up by qualifying for next season’s Champions League, the Magpies are having to be creative to avoid breaching financial rules with the their wage bill also a concern.
Howe has repeatedly insisted he wants to strengthen, not weaken his squad this summer, but has been equally keen to highlight the restrictions under which the club would have to work.
Fernandes looking for strong finish to Man Utd's season
Bruno Fernandes says Manchester United must "finish the season in the best way" following their 3-2 win over Newcastle United.
The United youngsters played starring roles, with Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo and Rasmus Hojlund getting all three goals to close the gap to Newcastle in the table.
Anthony Gordon and Lewis Hall both netted for the Magpies, with the latter setting up a nervy finish with his stoppage-time effort, but their lack of clinical edge meant United earned all three points.
Erik ten Hag’s side avoided a third consecutive defeat, and what would have been a record-breaking 10th home loss of the season, and Fernandes insists they must find a way to finish positively.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the United captain said: "Obviously the job isn’t finished yet. We still have one game in the Premier League, then the biggest game of the season, the FA Cup final.
"It has been a tough season. The table shows that, and we are all aware of that. The fans have been amazing and behind us all season. We all appreciate what they have been doing for us.
"We want to do better and do differently. They [fans] have been amazing for us, and we had to do something. We have been trying, but results don’t show that. We have been working hard and everyone has been giving their best. It is not enough, and we have to do more.
"We still have two games to go, and we have to finish in the best way.
"It doesn’t exist, a captain's performance, it is a team performance. I am no different from anyone just because I have the armband. I always try my best, and we always do the best we can for the club – nobody hides that we play for a big club, and we have to lift our standards every game."
Despite returning to winning ways, United have now conceded 58 Premier League goals this season, their most across a single campaign in the competition.
Ten Hag was keen to turn the focus away from their struggling defence and onto the attacking players instead.
"Fantastic. Great goals. But it was a team effort how we made the goals. But I'm always happy at young players who are progressing very good and scored some brilliant goals," he told BBC Sport.
"Newcastle have a lot of physical power, and you have to match that, but you also have to play football. We had found the really good balance in this.
"It's always nice to win any game. It's important to win the last game at Old Trafford this season. The fans deserve this because they've had difficult times and always stayed with us.
"We are here together. We wanted to pay the fans back."
Manchester United 3-2 Newcastle United: Hojlund gets Red Devils back to winning ways
Manchester United kept their European hopes alive with a 3-2 victory over Newcastle United in their final home game of the season on Wednesday.
Amad Diallo scored his first Premier League goal to put the hosts 2-1 up in the second half, before Rasmus Hojlund came off the bench to wrap up the points.
Kobbie Mainoo had earlier netted the opener just after the half-hour mark, though the Red Devils were pegged back early in the second half through Anthony Gordon.
Lewis Hall took advantage of some slack defending in stoppage time to set up a nervy finish, but the hosts held strong to see out the win.
Erik ten Hag's side remain in eighth but are now level on points with Newcastle, who have a superior goal difference. Chelsea's win at Brighton means the Magpies drop to seventh.
Newcastle soon came under pressure as Martin Dubravka made a routine save to deny Scott McTominay before pushing away Diallo’s curler.
Mainoo then found the opening, latching onto Diallo’s throughball before picking out the bottom-left corner with his composed finish.
The Magpies responded well, and Dan Burn’s towering header was inches away from pulling them level, but Casemiro brilliantly cleared on the line.
Newcastle were rewarded for a bright start to the second half as Gordon met Jacob Murphy’s cross to fire an equaliser past Andre Onana in the 49th minute.
Less than 10 minutes later, though, Eddie Howe’s side were behind once more – Diallo latched onto a poor clearance to rifle a powerful strike past Dubravka from the edge of the box.
The hosts were indebted to Onana as he then made two big saves, smothering Sean Longstaff one-on-one and stretching to tip Joelinton’s shot over the bar.
Gordon almost levelled for a second time when his fizzed shot threatened to sneak in at the far post, but Miguel Almiron could not get the vital touch to take it over the line.
Hojlund then came off the bench and with his first touch of the ball, he held off Burn to slot a low shot through Hall's legs and into the bottom-left corner.
In the 92nd minute, Hall gave Newcastle late hope after latching onto a loose clearance and firing in a brilliant strike from distance, but they were unable to find a second.
The kids are alright
Mainoo has proven a bright spark in United's underwhelming season, and scored his third goal of the campaign here - he has given the Red Devils the lead each time he has found the back of the net.
Teenagers have now scored 10 Premier League goals for United this season (Alejandro Garnacho has seven to Mainoo's three), their third-highest tally in a single campaign after 2004-05 (15) and 2019-20 (11).
All three of United’s goalscorers were aged 21 or younger, with Hojlund scoring just 106 seconds after coming off the bench.
Away blues return for Magpies
Newcastle were looking for their third win over United in all competitions this season, but despite showing a goal threat, they struggled to convert their chances.
Their away form has improved in recent weeks, with the Magpies winning four of their last seven on the road compared to just one victory from their first 10, but they could not run out winners again here.
Howe is also still looking for his first league win in Manchester, failing to win any of his last 15 away games against either Manchester City or United (three draws, 12 defeats).
Brighton 1-2 Chelsea: Palmer and Nkunku boost Blues' European hopes
Chelsea maintained their European charge with a fourth successive win on Wednesday, overcoming Brighton by a 2-1 scoreline at the Amex Stadium.
Cole Palmer’s excellent header – his 22nd Premier League goal of a fine debut campaign – put the Blues ahead after they had been denied an early penalty by a VAR review.
Both sides enjoyed plenty of chances with Pascal Gross going particularly close for Brighton, but Christopher Nkunku pounced to give Chelsea breathing room in the second half.
Chelsea captain Reece James was sent off for a petulant kick on Joao Pedro late on and Danny Welbeck halved the arrears in stoppage time, but the visitors held on to ensure a top-seven finish remains in their hands going into the final day.
Chelsea thought they had an early chance to score from the spot as Facundo Buonanotte's challenge on Marc Cucurella was penalised, but the penalty award was overturned after a VAR review.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side continued to push for the opener as Malo Gusto's deflected effort was tipped over by Bart Verbruggen, and they eventually broke through in the 34th minute.
Cucurella burst down the left-hand side before floating a cross into the box, and Palmer arrived to send a looping header over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Nicolas Jackson had an excellent chance to double Chelsea’s lead deep into first-half stoppage time, but he failed to convert Palmer’s cross on the volley.
Substitute Nkunku then went close shortly after the break, but his driven effort from the edge of the box went narrowly wide.
The Seagulls should have equalised in the 57th minute as Tariq Lamptey’s dipping cross found Gross totally unmarked, but he somehow put his shot wide from inside the six-yard box.
Pochettino's men punished that miss seven minutes later, with Gusto cutting back for Nkunku to pick out the bottom corner with his first-time finish.
James was sent off after a VAR review as stoppage time loomed, having appeared to kick out at Pedro. The Seagulls pilled on the pressure from there as Adingra struck the post on the volley before Welbeck poked home a Pedro delivery, but Chelsea ultimately held firm.
Brighton’s conceding first curse
Brighton have now failed to win in their last 11 matches when conceding the opening goal in the Premier League, in a run which dates back to a victory over Brentford on December 6.
The Seagulls had opportunities to equalise after Palmer’s first-half header, but Nkunku’s goal gave them a mountain to climb, one they were unable to scale even with a one-man advantage.
A top-half finish is now the limit of Brighton's ambitions. They stay 10th, and a win over Manchester United on the final day will ensure they avoid dropping into the bottom half.
Chelsea’s impressive 2024 continues
Pochettino has started to turn things around since the start of 2024, with Chelsea securing 32 points in the Premier League since the start of January.
The contributions of Palmer have certainly helped the Argentine, with the young attacker scoring the opening goal in nine league games this season.
Chelsea supporters wouldn’t have been expecting a late push for the European places, but with the Blues sitting sixth going to the final day, qualification is in their hands.
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