One year is a long time in football, never mind five. Cast your mind back five years from now and you will find a Newcastle United side managed by Rafa Benitez battling for survival at the wrong end of the Premier League table.
Since then, Steve Bruce was named as his replacement, a season was played behind-closed-doors, the club was taken over, Eddie Howe was placed in charge of the group, they qualified for the Champions League and reached their first major cup final of the century. Clearly, quite a lot can happen in half a decade.
So what does the next few years hold in store for Newcastle United? Fans will hope they can continue to challenge at the top end of the Premier League table and maybe bridge that gap between themselves and the established top clubs.
It is, of course, impossible to predict what will happen but Football Manager can help simulate how the footballing world, and Newcastle United, could look like when the 2028/29 season gets underway. Here, we take a look at what Newcastle United’s matchday squad could look like in five years' time - according to Football Manager 2024.