ISAAC HAYDEN and Jeff Hendrick do not have a future at Newcastle United despite being contracted to the club beyond the end of the season.

The out-of-favour duo have both spent the season on loan at the Championship, with Hayden having been with Norwich City and Hendrick having played for Reading.

Neither player has had a particularly successful loan spell – Hayden has suffered from a succession of injury issues while Hendrick was unable to prevent Reading from being relegated to League One – and they will not be offered permanent deals with their temporary employers.

As a result, they are due to return to Newcastle this summer, with Hendrick’s contract not due to expire until the summer of 2024 and Hayden having another three years of his current deal to run.

It will not necessarily be easy for Newcastle to remove them from their books, but Howe is adamant they do not have a future on Tyneside.

“I had those conversations with those players last year, where they trained separately from the group,” said the Magpies boss. “That was only so I could control the numbers that I was working with and maintain the focus of the players that were going to be part of our season.

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“I don’t anticipate that changing to be honest. Those lads have done very well, and they’ve been great lads and servants to the football club over many seasons. We certainly respect them, but sometimes you have to make a clear break and focus on the players that are going to be part of our season next year.”

The same does not apply to Matt Ritchie and Paul Dummett, both of whom are due to become free agents this summer.

Neither player has made much of an impact on Newcastle’s first team this season, but Howe values their off-field influence greatly and would ideally like to keep them both as part of his squad.

“I’ve had various discussions with Matt throughout the season,” he said. “First and foremost, he’s been very committed to Newcastle and to the team and the aims of this season.

“I’ve said that I desperately want to keep him next year. He has had issues surrounding his family, and the distance between him and them is never easy when you’ve got young children. When you’re a parent, that distance is tough at times. But Matt’s been exceptional and I certainly hope he stays for next year.

“Again, I hope we can come to an agreement with Paul and he will stay for next year. I think, behind the scenes, he’s been a vital part of our success this year. He’s trained superbly, and his commitment to Newcastle is undoubted. We’d love him to extend his stay.”