Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez has stated that no senior players will leave the club between now and the end of the summer transfer window.
That will dash any hopes that Aston Villa Steve Bruce had of signing Isaac Hayden or Ciaran Clark.
Benitez was quizzed about Villa’s links to Clark and Benitez’s response was definitive. He also said the same applied to Isaac Hayden.
Talking in his pre-match press conference, Benitez said: “Anyone who is in our squad, they will not go as we don’t have too many players.”
He said that younger players may go out on loan but that he didn’t have the numbers to allow any senior player to leave.
Rafa on Clark to Villa links: "Nothing" is his response. Same on Hayden. "Anyone who is in our squad, they will not go as we don't have too many players. Some young players need loans, but we don't have the numbers to allow others to go" #nufc
— Chris Waugh (@ChrisDHWaugh) August 17, 2018
OPINION
Aston Villa have been reportedly linked with two loan bids for Hayden and Clark, but they aren’t going anywhere and Bruce will have to look elsewhere for reinforcements. Benitez was very direct after being quizzed about the Aston Villa links and left no wriggle room. In one way that’s really good for Villa – they don’t have to waste any more time chasing these two and can set their sights on other targets. It’s also a shame though., Both players would have given Villa a boost and Hayden still wants to leave Newcastle for personal reasons. That doesn’t look like happening until at least January though, and not before Benitez gets some reinforcements in. It shows the predicament Benitez is in, with injuries bringing him close to the bare bones in terms of his squad. It could be a very long season for Newcastle fans and they’ll be hoping that Hayden and Clark aren’t lining up against Aston Villa in the Championship next season.