© Peter Nicholls/Reuters Ayoze Perez, Salomon Rondon and Kenedy (not pictured) were included in Newcastle's 2020 club calendar despite all having left the club last summer

Newcastle United say they deeply regret the release of an official 2020 calendar that contains pictures of three players who are no longer at the club and show a fan making a rude gesture in the background.

Supporters were stunned to discover that the club’s desktop calendar, sold as official merchandise with the club crest and branding on it, included pictures of Ayoze Perez, Salomon Rondon and Kenedy, who all left in the summer of 2019.

Indeed, Perez, who is the picture selected for the month of January, scored against Newcastle on New Year’s Day for his new club Leicester City, who he joined for £30 million back in July.

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Rondon also features heavily in a calendar that is a popular stocking filler for Christmas, even though he was only on loan at Newcastle last term. There is also a picture of the Brazilian winger Kenedy, even though he returned to Chelsea in May at the end of his loan deal.

To make matter worse, one of the pictures also clearly shows an opposition fan in the background swearing at Newcastle players as they celebrate a goal wearing last season’s away kit.

Club officials have admitted the calendar should not have contained so many out-of-date images and that the product did not go through proper quality control at their end, even though it was seen by club employees before it went on sale.

The mindset of #NUFC as a club, neatly summed up in the 2020 calendar: �� Perez & Rondon on the front �� Perez for January�� �� Kenedy July ��‍♂️ �� Old kit (18 months old) �� No thought, care or planning pic.twitter.com/9ihiJyqOSH — Ketch ⚽️������ (@ketchell) January 8, 2020

An internal investigation has been launched to determine how this has happened and to try and prevent similar blunders being made in the future.

Newcastle’s other official club publications are of a high standard, particularly the matchday programme, and have greatly improved in recent years. The club’s official wall calendar is also far more impressive with up-to-date pictures and does not contain any players who no longer play for the club.

The shoddy quality of the desktop calendar is partly explained by the fact it is produced under licence by another company, Danilo, who require the images to be sent to them at the end of June. The calendars are then printed in South Korea before they are shipped back for sale in the United Kingdom.

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That long lead time makes things difficult in terms of knowing which players will still be at the club and sources have claimed nobody knew Perez would be sold to Leicester when he was chosen as one of the images.

Privately, senior club figures are embarrassed and accept they should have far higher standards for the release of products sold as official club merchandise but have not made a formal apology to fans who bought the calendar.

Fans have also pointed out on social media that Manchester United shorts are being sold via the club’s official website, which is run by owner Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct retail chain.

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