Newcastle could lose key players but radically different XI with three new signings and young stars will give fans hope for the future

It is fair to say that things could be going a lot better for Newcastle this season.

Having lost four Premier League games on the bounce, Eddie Howe's side are struggling to emulate the brilliance of last season.

Their injury list makes grim reading.

It includes the likes of Nick Pope, Callum Wilson and Harvey Barnes.

And midfielder Joelinton became the latest addition to to the painfully-long list.

He is in danger of missing the remainder of the season after picking up a thigh injury in their 3-0 FA Cup win over Sunderland.

The even worse news for the Magpies is that they are somewhat helpless when it comes to their current plight.

In a recent press conference, Howe admitted there was a general feeling that hands were tied when it came to salvaging the situation.

He said: «In an ideal world, given the freedom to act we would have brought players in already.

»But we're not in that situation… Financial Fair Play is a problem for us, and we're having to navigate round that. That's the position we're in."

Who could be on their way out?

FFP rules dictate that clubs are limited to losses of no more than £105million in a three-year period.

Newcastle CEO Darren Eales sparked concerns that a number of players could soon be sold in order to comply with Premier League spending rules.

Eales was asked specifically whether key players Alexander Isak, Sven Botman or Bruno Guimaraes could be on their way out of the club as a result of FFP rules.

He told Sky Sports: «On any player, at any time, it depends on circumstances.

»It's difficult to hypothesise but, if we're offered £1 billion for one of those players, then no-one could argue against that making sense.

«Any decision we make will always be against the backdrop of the medium to