Newcastle United takeover & transfer news: Paul Dummett hoping for Premier League rule change while Steve Harper talks Saudi bid

The Wales international defender was taken out of the Magpies' 25-man top flight squad due to injury in January, which looked set to keep him out until the end of the season last month.

But with the coronavirus outbreak putting the campaign on hold from March, Dummett is now back fit and ready to play for United.

And he hopes the Premier League make a slight adjustment so he doesn't have to wait until 2020/21 to pull on the black and white shirt once again.

"It's been about 20 weeks since I got injured, so it has been a long time," he told nufc.co.uk.

"I've done everything I could in terms of equipment that I had at home, with strength work that I had to do for the hamstring and all the running sessions I was getting sent over from the physios.

"I kept on top of those – five running sessions and three gym sessions a week – so I did everything I could to make sure that when training did restart, I was ready to go and i feel really good.

“I joined in an 11 v 11 game the other day – it was only a 45-minute game but I felt totally fine, and I've spoken to the manager about the squad situation as well. He's hopeful, and the club are hopeful, that the rules will be relaxed and changed.

“Whether we can add extra players to the 25-man squad or resubmit the 25-man squad, we'll have to see what happens, but hopefully the Premier League will change the rules because there's obviously a lot of factors where that would be beneficial."

Should the 25-man squad be allowed to be resubmitted it would be interesting to see who Steve Bruce would leave out. One name that springs to mind is Yoshinori Muto, who has been used sparingly by Bruce this season, as well as Sweden international Emil Krafth.

Dummett has mixed emotions about his layoff and subsequent recovery.

"Things are starting to get a little easier, things starting to open and obviously we're back training now as well, so it feels like it's starting to get back to a bit of normality when you're seeing the lads every day and training,” he said.

"Hopefully we keep seeing the figures going down, because thousands of people have died and far too many lives have been lost.

"My thoughts go out to everyone around the world who has lost family and loves ones; the north east in particular has had a high death and infection rate, and a lot of fans and families of Newcastle fans will have suffered, so our thoughts go out to them.

"It's been a tough time for the whole world but for me the only positive that has come from it is that it has given me time to get back fit.

"I had to do a lot of rehab and running on my own, essentially; it is tough doing all the running yourself, you can't get the treatment that you would normally get, but with the world the way it has been, the least of everyone's worries is someone like me trying to get recovery and rehab. So I made the most of everything and kept myself motivated with the hope that the rules will be changed, because I'm fit and raring to go."

Meanwhile Newcastle United first-team coach Steve Harper has responded to questions about the proposed £300million buyout of the Magpies by a consortium containing the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, PCP Capital Partners and Reuben Brothers.

"We just crack on. We wouldn't know, it's certainly above our pay grade,” Harper told TalkSPORT when asked whether the players or staff know of off-field developments.

“As players and staff, we just get on with it. The job we have in hand is the restart on June 20.

"It's a weird situation because you haven't had that period off post-season so it is an intense period getting ready for those 10 games and focusing on that."

While Harper is delighted the players are back – and Premier League action is around the corner – he knows the resumption of the top flight in England will come at a cost.

"Over Christmas you get five (games) in 15, so 10 in 36 is going to be incredible and the injury rate is high in Germany,” said former United keeper Harper.

"We have been very careful in training, everything is being risk assessed and mapped out.

"You are going to lose players."

United’s players returned to full contact training last week and are yet to record a positive coronavirus test since.

They are slated in to return to Premier League action on July 20 against Sheffield United at St James’s Park, then face Manchester City at the same venue seven days later in the FA Cup sixth round.

This is the first time since 2006 – when Harper was still a player on Tyneside – United have reached the last eight of the cup competition.