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Newcastle United have performed a radical shake-up behind the scenes with a host of the club’s fringe players told they have no future at St James’ Park.

The Chronicle understands that summit meetings with many of the club’s Under-23 players have been held today and only a clutch of players have been handed new deals.

As we reported last week, the Magpies are already preparing for next season and want to improve the back-up options to the first team.

We understand that Newcastle’s current first-team back-room team are far from satisfied with the amount of players coming through the ranks and the options available to them when the injury count is high.

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

Recently, 19-year-old midfielder Mo Sangare has impressed to the point that he was asked to train with Rafa Benitez’s first-team squad.

However, the rate of development hasn’t been as good as other clubs and Newcastle’s reserve squad has actually ended up in a poorer state this season after Lewis Gibson felt his chances of progressing were better with Everton than on Tyneside.

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This has resulted in a huge clear out at the club’s Benton base with only Cal Roberts and Luke Charman handed new deals by the Magpies from the current batch of players out of contract.

But both youngsters could be loaned out next summer with the pair requiring first team experience.

Newcastle have told Tom Heardman, Ben Kitchen, Curtis Good, Stuart Findlay, Michael Newberry, Jack Hunter and Kyle Cameron have all been released.

Players were called to St James’ Park this morning for a crunch meeting in which they learned their fate. Some of those players have worked their way through the Academy in the last eight or nine years.