Champions League boost for Toon

United, and whoever finishes third in the final Premiership table, are likely to meet a team from one of the smaller European nations thanks to British club's record in the competition.

"It is 99 per cent certain there will be a kind of seeding system in place," confirmed a UEFA Spokesperson.

"It will based on the European coefficient - basically, the European record - of the club in question and the country they are from.

"In the case of Newcastle, they may not have a good European record but England's coefficient alone is good enough for them to be seeded."