Steve Bruce 'sources' react to Newcastle United pay-off claims

Bruce’s position has been untenable since the relegation-threatened club’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion before the international break.

However, United’s head coach, under contract at St James's Park for another season, insisted after the game that he would not resign, and owner Mike Ashley chose not to dismiss Bruce in the wake of the Amex Stadium defeat.

Some fans have speculated that Bruce is holding out for a multi-million pound compensation payment, but this has been denied by a report in the Daily Telegraph.

It claims that sources close to Bruce have “strenuously denied he’s only staying because he’s waiting for the pay-off that will come if he’s sacked”. The report adds that Bruce “does not need the money – and intends to still be in charge of the team at the start of next season, having kept them in the Premier League”.

Bruce was asked after the Brighton game what the loss meant for his position.

“Well, as I’ve always said, that’s for other people to answer, but the one thing that I won’t ever do is give up on anything, as we’ve had a bad defeat,” said Bruce.

"We’ve been OK. We haven’t been sensational over the last few weeks, but we have to accept, I have to accept, the criticism that’s going to come our way and the fallout from it, because we were simply nowhere near good enough on a big occasion.

"The buck stops with me. It always does, and I have no problem (with that), because of the way we played.”