Newcastle United's World Cup participation has been ended after England lost out 2-1 to France in the competition's quarter-finals.
Just a day after Magpies midfielder Bruno Guimaraes' Brazil crashed out to Croatia on penalties, Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson saw their Qatar campaign ended by Didier Deschamps side, led by star forward Kylian Mbappe.
The result means Newcastle now have no more players left in the tournament, with the England trio making up the last of the Magpies World Cup contingent. Wilson, Trippier and Pope remained on the bench throughout as England lost following Harry Kane's penalty miss.
READ MORE: Newcastle United to adopt flexibile transfer approach to January window
They will now return to Tyneside ahead of Newcastle's return to domestic Premier League action, which begins on Boxing Day with a trip to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City.
While Newcastle will face off against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup on 21 December, it seems unlikely Guimaraes, Pope, Trippier, Wilson and Switzerland's Fabian Schar will be involved for that clash at St James' Park.
Earlier this month, Toon boss Eddie Howe revealed his World Cup stars would all be given a chance to recuperate ahead of the Premier League's restart, telling ChronicleLive : "Even the guys that go to the World Cup will at some stage need a chance to refresh. It's very difficult to go so consistently without that breather."
Newcastle have an incredible chance opportunity to be able to compete for a Champions League place this term, meaning they will need their stars to be fully fit ahead of the Premier League's return.
Resting the quintet for the game against Bournemouth could mean they return to the starting line-up for the Magpies on Boxing Day against the Foxes fully fit and raring to go.
READ NEXT
- Newcastle United's World Cup stars won't be rushed back into domestic action
- Newcastle bank early advantage over 'Big Six' rivals in Champions League race
- Dan Ashworth discusses new Newcastle strategy after previous experience with Alexis Mac Allister
- Five Newcastle United players ready to stake their claim in mini pre-season with places up for grabs
-
What to expect in January window after Riyadh transfer meeting