Newcastle United news: Takeover update and injury boost as Andy Gray blasts 'wrong' Benitez

Rafa Benitez has been branded as 'wrong' by Andy Gray

It has been just over a year since Mike Ashley placed Newcastle United on the market, but there seems to be no takeover bid on the horizon.

Chris Mort's appearance at Saturday's defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion got fans talking, but rumours of Saudi investment or a bid led by Peter Kenyon's consortium have yet to materialise.

And while fans continue to vent their frustrations at Mike Ashley, pundit Andy Gray has once again jumped to the Newcastle owner's defence and has hit out at Rafa Benitez.

READ: Fans react as Newcastle youngster nets stunning hat-trickIn response to comments made by Benitez, who feels Newcastle need to find three teams worse than them, Gray said on Bein Sports: "You can blame Mike Ashley all you want, for a lack of funds.

"In the last two or three seasons, 15 or 16 players have arrived. Ashley does not pick the team. When August comes around, only one man picks the team; Rafa Benitez.

"People will say they've played four of the top six, but Wolves got a point against Man City. The next seven games, fans will be thinking they can win them. But teams will be looking at Newcastle and thinking we can win that.

"He shouldn't have said 'we have to hope there are three worse teams in the league.' That was wrong. You cannot say that to fans. He has the responsibility, he's not producing the goods. He has to turn it round, very quickly."

MORE: Martin Dubravka hits out at 'speculation' over Benitez's futureMeanwhile, Newcastle could welcome back Salomon Rondon to the fold this weekend.

The striker missed out on the visit of the Seagulls on Saturday, but could overcome his thigh injury to feature at Southampton.

Jamie Sterry, Ciaran Clark and Florian Lejeune are all expected to miss out.