WHILE he has stopped short of categorically ruling out another addition, Steve McClaren admits there is a strong chance that the transfer deadline will pass without Newcastle United making another signing.

Florian Thauvin’s arrival in a £12m move from Marseille on Wednesday took the Magpies’ net spending for the current transfer window beyond the £46m mark, a figure which sets a new club record.

Thauvin became the club’s fifth summer signing, following Georginio Wijnaldum, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Chancel Mbemba and Ivan Toney, but while the club’s midfield and attacking ranks now look well stocked, there remains a shortage of cover at the back.

Daryl Janmaat’s suspension for tomorrow’s game at Manchester United means the club will not be able to field a natural right-back at Old Trafford, while with Mike Williamson out of favour, Steven Taylor and the untried Jamaal Lascelles are the only alternatives to Mbemba and Fabricio Coloccini at centre-half.

Newcastle have been linked with a possible move for Monaco’s £12m-rated defender Aymen Abdennour, but McClaren admits the club’s spending could already be at an end.

“I’m very pleased with what we have got, very pleased,” he said. “I think that’s it for now, but how many times have you heard, ‘That’s it for now’ with ten days of the window to go?

“We are not expecting, we are not chasing anything. We are not trying to make things happen. Usually with ten days to go things might happen, but at the moment we are delighted with what we have got.

“Let’s get to work with them. That’s the key thing now – they’re in, let’s get them working and let’s get them playing.”

This summer’s spending spree comes in the wake of Mike Ashley’s pledge to increase his level of investment ahead of the final game of last season against West Ham United.

At the time, Ashley’s comments were greeted with a fair degree of scepticism, but McClaren has been delighted to see the Magpies owner live up to his promises and deliver a net spend that can currently only be surpassed by one other club in the Premier League.

“After Mike Ashley’s words, I think people were doubting and those doubts were still there at the beginning of pre-season, especially when I first came in,” he said. “There were a lot of doubts and comments that it was all talk, but I think the club have delivered.

“They’ve absolutely delivered 100 per cent with the quality that we’ve got. We’re going forward, and that’s what we want to do. It might be a while before we actually see that, but we’ve certainly got the players now and the squad has improved.

“Getting some new players was important because after last season, you needed that little injection of belief. The new players have brought that, and I’m absolutely delighted. I’m sure all the supporters are also delighted that the club have followed up on their words.”

McClaren returns to Old Trafford tomorrow 14 years after he left his position as assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson, and while Manchester United have not been at their free-flowing best in the early weeks of the season, the Magpies head coach feels it would be churlish to pick holes in their unbeaten start.

“They’ve won every game, so it’s a team in form,” he said. “They’ve built and look solid. I can understand what they want through last season because I’ve seen (Lousi) van Gaal in Germany and Holland and it takes time to get his system and culture in place, and get his team playing how he wants them to play.

“He got that at the end of last season, and he’s got it again. It’s about results, and he’s getting results, and you can see the style of play he wants to evolve there.”

Siem de Jong is available for the trip to Manchester after recovering from a shin injury, but Moussa Sissoko faces a late fitness test as he battles against a groin problem.

“Credit to Moussa, he came off (against Swansea) and it’s not as bad as we first thought,” said McClaren. “We thought – and we still might think – that he’s got a chance for tomorrow, whereas five days ago, we didn’t think he had. But I think we are leaving that as late as possible.”