Steve Bruce addresses Newcastle United's transfer statement

The club only signed one player, midfielder Joe Willock, in the summer transfer window.

Bruce had hoped to sign two more players on loan in the final days of the window, but the club wouldn’t sanction any deals without further departures.

United’s head coach made his disappointment known after the deadline passed, and the club last week issued a lengthy, and unattributed, statement detailing its “approach” to the window.

The statement was seemingly aimed as much at Bruce as to the club’s fans. Bruce was asked ahead of this afternoon’s game against Manchester United at Old Trafford if there had been a “misunderstanding” over the funds available for squad strengthening.

“Look, my job is always to try and improve the squad – and never be satisfied. Never,” said Bruce. “I thought a couple of additions to the squad, on loan, would help us enormously. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to do that.

“It wasn’t just the money side of securing a loan. To bring in two, in particular, we would have to make way or make room, and we were unable to trade, as well. I was hoping that we could trade a couple to bring in a couple.

"Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. It’s frustrating, but’s the stance, and I knew what the stance of the club was. The statement has made it pretty obvious what it is. I have to accept it, and move on.”

Asked about Choudhury, Bruce said: “He’s was one of the few we were looking at.”