Plenty for Bruce to ponder

Alistair Magowan, BBC Sport

There will be no shortage of subjects for Newcastle boss Steve Bruce to talk about this morning.

It will be the first time he will speak to the media following a club statement which defended it's lack of spending in the transfer window and reports of Bruce trying to do deals on deadline day.

There is also Miguel Almiron, who is one of several South American players who are set to be ruled out of Premier League matches this weekend because of Fifa's rules on missing international fixtures.

And then there is the small matter of travelling to Old Trafford on Saturday to face Cristiano Ronaldo in a Manchester United shirt for the first time in 12 years.

Newcastle are yet to win this season, so it could be a tricky return for former Manchester United skipper Bruce.