Newcastle United started pre-season training last Thursday, July 4th and for some of the returning players it really was Independence Day from former manager Rafa Benitez, who had frozen them out of first team plans, and the path to St. James' Park beckons again.

As Newcastle coaches Ben Dawson and Neil Redfearn took training before the appointment of a permanent manager, who from Newcastle's forced loan rangers can play their way back into the first team picture in time for the new season?

  1. Jack Colback - Return of the Local Hero?

Deemed surplus to Premier League requirements by Rafa Benitez after a training ground row that saw him banished to train with the U23s, Geordie Jack Colback has outlasted a manager he believes didn't show him enough respect on Tyneside and is back at the club.

A Premier League veteran of over 150 games and six seasons, his top flight experience and combative qualities could prove invaluable as Newcastle head into a 2019/20 campaign that has once again seen the the fixture list conspire against the club. (Click here for Andy Dunn's excellent article on Newcastle's repeatedly hard starts)

Controversial yet confident, Colback was dubbed 'The Ginger Pirlo' by England's Roy Hodgson when he was selected for a international squad call-up in 2014 shortly after very impressive performances in a black and white shirt after he crossed the Wear-Tyne divide from Sunderland to sign for his boyhood club and he will be looking to play alongside JonJo Shelvey in the middle of St. James' Park as well as fellow Geordie Sean Longstaff.

2. Rolando Aarons - Still Time To Fulfill His Potential?

Winger Rolando Aarons shot to prominence with THAT goal away to Man City at The Etihad to set Newcastle on course for a famous win in The League Cup in October 2014.

After similarly impressive displays and goals notably against Crystal Palace, he was the talk of the country and linked with a £50M move to Man City or Liverpool.

Yet frustrating injury problems and off the field troubles meant the Jamaican-born speedster was sidelined and became the forgotten man at St. James' Park and was let go on loan last season despite a great goal in The League Cup against Notts Forest although Rafa Benitez never fully shut the door on a possible Toon future for Aarons, saying:

"“He needs to play, he needs to prove to himself and to everyone he is a good player for the future. He has the potential...He need a little consistency, he needs to play games in a row and that is the key for his confidence. He has played a couple of games, then on the bench, he needs to play.”

Surely better than Christian Atsu when fully fit, its up to Aarons to keep his career afloat.

3. Dwight Gayle - Will He Ever Do It In The Premier League?

Supreme once again in The Championship with 23 goals for West Brom, Gayle has never hit double figures in the Premier League with Newcastle or Crystal Palace

In an attack that has been stripped of Ayoye Perez, Salomon Rondon and now Joselu, could this poacher extraordinaire finally do it with regularity in the top flight?