NEWCASTLE’S players have united to demand a quick solution to the uncertainty surrounding the club.

Owner Mike Ashley continues to press for a sale of the Championship outfit but, while sources close to the sale suggest progress is still being made, things have stalled.

There are hopes that a deal will be agreed by the end of the week, although given that has been the situation for the last fortnight there is every chance nothing will materialise.

Ashley’s inability to conjure up a quick sale has frustrated the Newcastle playing staff, who continue to work towards the new season not knowing whether they will be still around.

Relegation from the topflight means there will be departures before the start of the Championship campaign on August 8, although with no manager in place retention decisions are difficult to make.

And after goalkeeper Steve Harper claimed “the club is dying a slow, painful death”, team-mate Kevin Nolan has now voiced his concerns.

Nolan, thought to be a target for Hull City, has returned to Tyneside with the rest of the squad for the next stage of pre-season training, having played against Shamrock Rovers on Saturday.

“We want somebody to make a decision – it’s unfair on the players and the staff,”

said Nolan. “To be fair, the players have been fantastic and have done what needed to be done. We will continue to keep our heads down.

“But in the next week, we certainly want to know what is going to happen. We would prefer to know whether Mike Ashley is going to keep it next season or whether somebody is coming in. Then we can start getting ready for the Championship.”

It was suggested last week that the players were ready to revolt if progress had not been made within two weeks, with the majority of the squad looking for Alan Shearer to be appointed.

But despite ongoing negotiations with prospective owners of Newcastle, the chances of Shearer being installed in the short-term are slim.

The situation remains that none of the consortia interested in taking over from Ashley have come up with the £100m being asked.

And while Charlie Chawke, a senior member of the Drumaville consortium which bought Sunderland three years ago, is trying to put a team together to launch a bid, the likeliest candidates are still believed to be from America and Malaysia.