'Strong interest': Forgotten Newcastle United man could be finally set to leave club this month - journalist

We have often criticised Eddie Howe for hanging on to players for too long at Newcastle United but in the case of Isaac Hayden, there appears to be no shifting him no matter what he does.

Some fans would agree that we held on to the likes of Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie for too long, eventually letting both of them leave for free after their contracts expired.

Meanwhile, Callum Wilson and Matt Targett are still pulling a wage from the club when most people would have hoped they'd have moved on by now after their injury troubles.

However, Isaac Hayden is proving to be the unflushable turd of Newcastle United. For clarity, we're not calling Hayden a turd, just using a metaphor.

Isaac Hayden failed to find a new club in the summer but did receive an international call-up

Hayden impressed on loan at QPR last season after a failed move to Standard Liege was cut short.

However, despite the glowing reports, Hayden was unable to find another club this summer and is festering in Newcastle's reserves hoping to find a move this month with journalist Darren Witcoop saying he expects a move for the 29-year-old with a 'strong interest' being shown.

With Steve McClaren calling up Hayden to the Jamaica squad, finding somewhere to play regular football is a must for Hayden, but with 16 months left on his Newcastle contract, it's not going to be an easy sell thanks to his high wages.

Isaac Hayden still has over a year left on his NUFC contract

Hayden hasn't made a competitive appearance for Newcastle since 2021 and yet has over a year left on his contract. It's absolute madness, but he was the recipient of a Mike Ashley special, which saw him handed a six-year deal and a huge mug for his morning tea.

We have no idea where Hayden is expected to go, but in a reply to Witcoop's post on X, someone asked if it would be another loan and he said it would be a free transfer.

It looks as though Newcastle could be about to offer him a mutual termination to push through a move, which, at this point, seems like the right thing to do.