Newcastle United's Matt Ritchie is fully expected to leave Tyneside in the summer despite some reports suggesting he could take working towards a coaching role.

How long does Matt Ritchie have left on his contract?

The 33-year-old is now playing into the final months of his deal with the Magpies which does leave his position at the club hanging in the balance.

Ritchie has now been playing his football at St. James' Park since 2016 having made a £10m move from Bournemouth to the other side of the country.

However, there is a sense the veteran will not be handed a new deal with the Toon looking to take huge strides forward under the ownership of PIF.

And speaking on The Toon Review YouTube channel, Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie has suggested there is no chance Ritchie will be staying at Newcastle for next season:

(25:40) "No chance of him staying, no."

"I would be majorly surprised if he doesn't move further south to be nearer his family. I think Matt Ritchie and Jamaal Lascelles have been there for a while now. And I think both of them wanted to be around for the likelihood of Newcastle getting into a cup final."

Could Ritchie go into coaching at Newcastle?

Earlier in the season Ritchie took charge of a number of training sessions for the Toon's academy with the 33-year-old looking to work towards his coaching badges.

And having spent so long on Tyneside, there has perhaps been a belief that Ritchie could well take up a role within the club's set-up as a result of his knowledge of the cub.

But this does not seem to be the case with Downie fully expecting to see Ritchie depart Newcastle in the coming months.

The report from The Chronicle which highlighted the player's involvement in the academy sessions did suggest the Toon would have been open to allowing Ritchie to depart in January had the right offer landed.

Now, Ritchie is set to have his pick of clubs when he becomes a free agent and it is probably the right time for him to move on from the Magpies.

Since Eddie Howe's arrival on Tyneside in 2021, Ritchie has only featured 12 times for Newcastle across all competitions.

And only five of them have come from the starting XI which is a damning indication that his chances of game time are simply not there at St. James' Park.

But there is still a lot to play for at Newcastle this season and it would be a stunning way to bow out by lifting the Carabao Cup and potentially even securing Champions League football.