STEVE BRUCE has ruled out making any more permanent additions ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline, but the Newcastle United boss will consider a final loan signing before the window closes.

Newcastle return to action when they host Burnley tomorrow night, with injury concerns over Jamaal Lascelles and Emil Krafth meaning Bruce might well have to field something of a makeshift defence as he looks to secure his side’s first Premier League home win of the season.

Once tomorrow’s game is over, attention will switch to deadline-day on Monday, but unlike some of his predecessors, Bruce does not find himself in a position where he is having to complete the bulk of his transfer business in the final stages of the window.

Mark Gillespie, Jamal Lewis, Jeff Hendrick, Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson were all recruited before the season began, so while a couple of potential loan options remain on the table, Bruce will not be signing anyone on a permanent basis in the next three days.

“I’m ruling out any more permanent deals,” said the Newcastle boss. “That won’t be happening. In fact, I don’t expect to be that busy at all.

“If something comes available then we will act, but we went to work and made sure our work was done before the season started. We brought the four or five players in without the need for a hectic scramble. If a good player becomes available on loan, we will look at it. But as things stand, I don’t expect to be busy. We still need people to leave.”

Bruce remains keen to usher some of his fringe players through the exit door before Monday evening, with DeAndre Yedlin understood to be the subject of interest from at least three clubs on the continent.

It might prove more difficult to move on the likes of Achraf Laazar, Henri Saivet and Rolando Aarons, while there is also a chance that Christian Atsu could find himself without a squad number if he is still on Newcastle’s books when the window swings shut.

In terms of possible loan additions, Bruce has previously targeted a new centre-half, with a season-long deal for Rob Holding having been all but signed and sealed before a flurry of injuries at the Emirates forced Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to rethink his plans.

Newcastle’s position has changed slightly since then, with Fabian Schar having returned to full fitness after shoulder surgery, and with Paul Dummett and Ciaran Clark also set to be available before the end of the month, Bruce no longer regards a defensive reinforcement as a pressing priority.

“We’ve had a big problem with Ciaran and Dummett, because they’ve been long term, and there’s been Fab Schar out too,” he said. “At the time, I was thinking that we could have done with a bit of cover there.

“But Fab Schar came back much quicker than I thought he would, and we’re hoping that Ciaran and Dummett will be back into training after the international break, in that week leading up to the Man U game.

“That changes things a bit. If something as good as Rob Holding came along, we would have a look, but in terms of that one, it’s changed now because he’s in the Arsenal team. That situation has gone away.”

Newcastle have made a reasonable start to the season, picking up four points from their opening three league games and setting up a Carabao Cup quarter-final at Brentford in December, but Bruce has still come in for a fair amount of criticism because of the laboured manner of a number of his side’s performances.

He accepts there have been games where his players have not been at their best – Wednesday’s cup win at Newport certainly falls into that category – but regards some of the negativity that has been apparent in the last few days as unwarranted.

“We haven't played well in some of the games, I give you that,” said Bruce. “But it was only three weeks ago that everyone was positive after the way we had played against West Ham.

“We haven't played well enough against Brighton, then we go and play against one of the top teams in Europe at Tottenham and found it very difficult.

“I understand that, but let's be a little bit balanced on the whole thing. If we can beat Burnley, we will probably go into the top six and we’re in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.”

Newcastle (probable, 4-4-1-1): Darlow; Manquillo, Schar, Fernandez, Lewis; Hendrick, Hayden, Shelvey, Saint-Maximin; Almiron; Wilson.