Isaac Hayden and Jeff Hendrick will be back at Newcastle United this summer, but their futures lie away from St James’ Park.
Both players are currently in the Championship, with Hayden on loan at Norwich and Hendrick enjoying a temporary spell with Reading.
The midfield duo look set to return to Newcastle at the end of the season, although there is a chance that Hayden might become a permanent Canary.
It was reported after his move to Carrow Road that his loan deal includes an obligation to buy if Norwich secure promotion back to the Premier League. That is still a possibility, with David Wagner’s side seventh with eight games to go. They are three points behind Millwall, who occupy the final playoff slot.
It would be ideal for Newcastle if Norwich do come up, otherwise they will have to look for a new home for Hayden, as well as various other players.
Newcastle plan to get rid of Isaac Hayden and Jeff Hendrick
According to the Athletic, Newcastle are going to make Hayden and Hendrick available for transfer this summer. However, they add that it might be difficult to get rid of them permanently due to their wages.
In an ideal world, both players stay where they are. Promotion will force Hayden to move clubs, while Hendrick has played a lot of football for Paul Ince’s side. He has only missed one Championship game, playing almost every minute he can for the Royals.
It is a far cry from his Toon career, where Hendrick proved to be a bit of a flop. He arrived on a free during Steve Bruce’s tenure, but struggled to have any kind of impact. However, he will always be remembered as the man who scored the final ever goal of the Mike Ashley era.
As for Hayden, he has been much more influential on Tyneside. He proved to be well worth the £1.5million investment, playing in a variety of different positions. One of his best games came at centre-back against Southampton shortly after recovering from COVID, with Alan Shearer calling him ‘superb‘.
However, Eddie Howe has no use for Hayden as the club continues to kick on, and will be keen to get him, and Hendrick, off the books this summer.
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