It has been an interesting season for Newcastle United so far with a real mixture of results - but which players have stood out and which have struggled?
Newcastle are one point worse off in the Premier League than they were after 12 matches last season but have had Champions League football and a serious injury crisis to contend with.
After losing three of their opening four matches, Newcastle got things back on track in September and October with a seven-game unbeaten run which included five wins and five clean sheets.
The Magpies sit seventh in the Premier League table and have reached the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup but only have a slim chance of progressing from their Champions League group following back to back defeats against Borussia Dortmund.
But at this relatively early stage in the season, who has shone and who has struggled for The Magpies so far? We have looked at every member of Newcastle’s squad plus any younger players who have made an appearance and ranked and rated them based on their contributions so far.
Ratings also take into account expectations relative to the players in question. For example 17-year-old midfielder Lewis Miley is not expected to produce the same level of performances as £52million summer signing Sandro Tonali.
In total, we have rated 29 Newcastle United players to determine our top performers from the opening 18 matches in all competitions during the opening four months of the season. Ratings will be updated periodically throughout the season.
Here are the ratings in full...
1. Sandro Tonali - 4
After a near perfect Premier League debut, things quickly went downhill for Sandro Tonali as he struggled to make much of an impact before being handed a 10-month ban from playing for breaching Italian betting regulations. Unfortunately, due to non-footballing reasons, Tonali's spell at Newcastle has been a bit of a disaster so far and his ratings has to reflect as such.
2. Loris Karius - 4
Played just once this season in a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League.
3. Matt Targett - 4.5
A solid display against Man City aside, the left-back struggled to make an impact before going off injured a Manchester United. Has only just returned to the bench.
4. Matt Ritchie - 5.5
Left out of the Champions League squad but has made several appearances from the bench in the Premier League and even got on the scoresheet in a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth last month.