UNWANTED Jamie McClen last night revealed how he fears Newcastle United's talented schoolboys will be overlooked for big money buys in years to come.
The 24-year-old midfielder is still waiting to hear where his future lies after being placed on the transfer-list this summer.
With Newcastle consistently linked with plunges into the transfer market, Tynesider McClen fears there will be more heartache for other homegrown talents.
But he is well aware that multi-million pound buys are exactly what the modern-day football supporter wants.
"Newcastle are a buying club now, there's no doubt about it. That is good for the fans," said McClen. "They have got Champions League football, but it's not so good for the young players hoping to make a breakthrough.
"There are a lot of good lads at the club. It is a very frustrating position to be in. It has happened to me and it will happen to them eventually. I did absolutely nothing last season and it was a hard time for me.
"The last game I played was against Arsenal and I was man of the match."
McClen has been linked with a move to Premiership new-boys Wolves but there has been no firm approach for him.
He has been bracing himself for an emotional farewell to St. James' Park and the club he has supported since childhood.
McClen said: "It will be hard to leave Newcastle because I'm a local lad and I will always be a fan. But it's an exciting time because I don't know where I will end up and I am relishing the challenge.
"The bad year I have had will make me stronger as a person and stronger as a player. I have got a point to prove and I am desperate to do well.
"I'm not having a go at the club or the gaffer because they have looked after me and I would like to thank them for doing that.
"But it's difficult when you have been playing for the first team and then you find yourself training with the schoolboys."
Meanwhile, Paris St Germain's Ronaldinho looks like turning his back on a move to Newcastle in favour of joining champions Manchester United.
PSG are set to resume training under new coach Vahid Halilhodzic today and he is keen to see the issue resolved as quickly as possible. The Red Devils have agreed an £11m fee with Ronaldinho, whose agent Roberto Assis said: "Ronaldinho would be very happy to play for Manchester United."
* Lilian Laslandes has taken his first step towards ending his Sunderland nightmare by agreeing terms with French side Nice.
But the giant striker still has to convince Sunderland to allow him to leave the Stadium of Light on a free transfer.
The Black Cats are determined to recoup some of the hefty £3.6m sum paid to Bordeaux for the player nearly two years ago.
But the three clubs chasing Laslandes' signature - Nice, Nantes and Bastia - are all reluctant to pay for his services.
Nice president Maurice Cohen has revealed that a contract in principle with Laslandes has been finalised and the ball is now firmly in Sunderland's court.
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