A player recently released by Newcastle United is now facing the prospect of being relegated to the fifth tier.
It is that time of the year when Newcastle United will be looking at expiring contracts and plotting talks with those that Eddie Howe wants to stay.
There are several Newcastle stars set to leave this summer when their contracts expire, with Martin Dubravka and Fabian Schar among those who are running out of time.
Newcastle are plotting talks with Schar over a new deal, but a handful of first-team stars are expected to be released. Last summer, Newcastle released five senior players.
Long-serving duo Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie were released as free agents alongside Loris Karius, defender Kell Watts and midfielder Jeff Hendrick.
For some of them, the next steps in their career haven’t quite gone to plan.
Paul Dummett faces relegation to non-league football
Dummett ended his time on Tyneside having made 213 senior appearances for Newcastle, scoring four goals.
Dummett was offered to a Premier League club, but he ended up without a club until November when he joined Wigan Athletic on a short-term deal.
The 33-year-old only stayed at Wigan until his deal expired in January. Dummett then signed for Carlisle United in League Two, where he was reunited with former Newcastle teammate Mike Williamson.
Unfortunately, Dummett’s Carlisle debut was disastrous and he was forced off with a hamstring injury after just five minutes.
That remains his only minutes in a Carlisle shirt to date, but the League Two outfit desperately need him back fit as they are staring relegation to non-league football in the face.
Carlisle sit 24th in League Two with just 22 points on the board – four behind Morecambe in 23rd.
Paul Dummett was once a key player under Rafa Benitez
Of Dummett’s 213 Newcastle appearances, 99 of them came under former Toon boss Rafa Benitez. Dummett has actually played more games under the Spaniard than any other manager in his career.
He only made 12 appearances under Howe before he was released in the summer.
Benitez was a huge admirer of Dummett and insisted he had complete trust in the defender during his time on Tyneside.
READ MORE: Paul Dummett delighted after watching 21-year-old play for Newcastle again last night
As quoted by Shields Gazette, in 2018 Benitez said this about Dummett: “It’s important for any club to have players you can trust, who can settle down and who can give you everything.
“Sometimes it will be a nine (out of 10) or a six, if they are between six and nine and then you can trust them. Others can be a nine and then a three. With his characteristics, he’s a clever player.”
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