Newcastle United utility man Matt Ritchie is ready to call time on his Magpies carrer and expected to leave St James' Park at the end of the season, according to a new report.

Has Ritchie been a key man this season?

The Magpies are enjoying a memorable season so far, looking highly likely to finish in the top four and secure a place in next year's Champions League. They also reached the EFL Cup final, albeit losing to Manchester United, so the progress since last summer has been huge.

Newcastle have various key men at the club right now, but Ritchie isn't one of them, with the Scot having to accept playing a bit-part role this season. The £45,000-a-week defender has only featured seven times in the Premier League, all of which have come from the substitutes' bench and totalled just 35 minutes of action.

The 33-year-old is out of contract at the end of the current campaign, however, leaving his future with the Magpies up in the air. A new update has shed some light on the situation, however, with his time at St James' seemingly coming to an end in the next few months.

Is Ritchie leaving Newcastle this summer?

According to Football insider, Ritchie is "set to quit" Newcastle in the summer, as he goes "in pursuit of regular football" elsewhere. It is stated that he has "fallen significantly down Eddie Howe's pecking order" this season and is "ready to call an end to his time in Tyneside".

In truth, it makes complete sense for the 16-cap Scotland international to move on at the end of this season, with his first-team opportunities clearly limited already, let alone when more signings arrive during the summer window.

Newcastle have gone up a significant level, in terms of the calibre of player they can entice to the club and Ritchie is simply drifting further out of contention, which is only natural considering he is now 33 years of old age. Handing him a new deal would make little sense, while the player himself clearly wants to enjoy more regular playing time during the autumn of his career.

He should be remembered as an excellent servant for the Magpies, though - one who has scored 24 goals in 198 appearances and been hailed as "invaluable" and a "top player" by Eddie Howe - with his professionalism always shining through and his versatility allowing him to do a solid job in several positions, mainly down the left flank.