Eddie Howe 'in trouble' as Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes exits loom at Newcastle

Eddie Howe is facing immediate concerns about his Newcastle United squad next season as doubts loom over their most valuable players.

The Magpies endured a frustrating season last time out, with a 12th-placed finish meaning they have missed out on qualification for European competitions next season.

Multiple players including the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali are now believed to be considering their futures at the club amid growing interest.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Howe will face major problems if players such as Guimaraes push for moves away.

A strong start to next season is set to be crucial to the manager's future, with questions asked over his role, and he is now relying on a big window.

Which players could push to leave Newcastle United?

Football Insider revealed last month that Newcastle will demand £80million for Tonali amid growing interest from Arsenal, Man City and Man United.

The Magpies remain determined to keep their best players at the club beyond the summer window, but the level of interest is leading to concerns.

On the other hand, there have been suggestions that Newcastle may be forced to sell before they buy, meaning key players could be let go.

"That Newcastle squad needs a lot of work," Brown told Football Insider.

"You can go though one by one and see how many players need to be replaced or could be leaving this summer.

"Start with the goalkeeper, there's question marks over Nick Pope, then the defence, lots of the players there are ageing.

"The two big ones are in midfield, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, losing either of those two would be a huge blow to Newcastle, let alone both of them.

"Up front, they're not happy with any of their strikers, really, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see at least one of them move on.

"So let's say Newcastle lose four or five players from their squad, after what was already a poor season, it's going to be very difficult for them to get any better.

"It was a frustrating season for them and fans aren't all happy with Howe, so another bad window and a slow start to the season means he could be in big trouble."

Could Eddie Howe face sack pressure at Newcastle?

Doubts about the fututures of a number of key players at Newcastle are likely to fuel speculation about Howe's long-term future after he came under pressure.

Newcastle decided to back Howe despite calls for his head throughout last season, and would not be pushed into letting him go as he has credit in the bank.

However, Brown warned Football Insider on 6 June that Howe could face serious questions at Newcastle if they fail to make major improvements in the transfer window.

Regardless of the potential outgoing players from St James' Park, their plans will revolve around adding to their squad, and failure to do so will ramp up pressure.

If Newcastle endure another difficult window and then suffer a slow start to next season, the manager could face serious sack threats.