Rafa Benitez Calls for Crunch Meeting With Newcastle Duo to Discuss Their Futures at the Club

Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez is set to hold talks with both Dwight Gayle and Jack Colback regarding their futures at the club.

Rafa will be eager to get back to work after he took a week off to recover from his recent hernia operation. The time off means he hasn't seen many of his players since before the international break, and according to the Daily Star, high on the agenda is sorting the futures of Gayle and Colback.

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Both players were subject to deadline day speculation, with Fulham offering £15m for Gayle after the Magpies admitted they would sell him for the right price, though a deal never materialised. Colback also failed to secure a move away from St James' Park following late interest from Championship outfit Hull City.

Gayle has made three appearances so far this season for Newcastle however has failed to score in all three games, and with the club's new £5m man Joselu scoring on his debut, Gayle looks set to face stiff competition for a place in the starting line-up.

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Unlike Gayle, Colback is yet to play a minute of Premier League football so far this campaign, with the arrival of fellow midfielder Mikel Merino on-loan from Borussia Dortmund seemingly pushing him even further down the pecking order at St James' Park.

After losing their opening two games of the season, the magpies have bounce back well with back-to-back wins over West Ham and Swansea. They will be looking to continue their run of form and make it three-out-of-three wins as they host Stoke City on Saturday.