January Exit Looks Inevitable for Newcastle Midfielder as Rafa Benitez Looks to Reduce Wage Bill

Jack Colback's immediate football future seems destined away from St. James' Park, as the midfielder will be offered out to clubs prior to the opening of the winter transfer window, as manager Rafa Benitez looks to reshape his Magpie squad.

As reported by ChronicleLive, 28-year-old Colback was told back in August he could leave as his weekly wage of £40,000 was significantly more than a host of first team squad players that were higher up the pecking order at the club.

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However, Colback decided to stay in the north east despite attention from Championship sides Wolverhampton Wanderers and Hull City. 

Nevertheless, a few months into the season, interest still remains in the combative midfielder as Leeds United and Birmingham City scouts were in the stands as he played 90 minutes for Newcastle United’s second string against Reading this week in a 4-1 win at Whitley Park.

Despite his unwillingness to leave, Benitez has made it clear that the former England U20 international is not in his long term plans and as a result now finds himself training the club's youth side at their Academy. 

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The Newcastle manager said about the situation recently: “He knew from the beginning that we have four or five midfielders and I didn’t want to have six.

“We could not manage to move any more players out at the end of the transfer window and you can’t train as well with as many players around in the same position - I did not want that.

“We have enough players in that position without [Mikel] Merino - [Mohamed] Diame, [Jonjo] Shelvey, [Isaac] Hayden and [Henri] Saivet, even [Chancel] Mbemba who can also play in midfield."

The time might now be right for Colback to accept that in order to progress his career and get regular first team football he needs to leave Newcastle United and embrace the challenges of clubs that do value him.