Magpies net young star

Newcastle have put the controversy over the future of Bobby Robson behind them by clinching the signing of one of the hottest properties in French football.

Just days after it was confirmed that Robson will not be manager at St James’ Park beyond next season, the Magpies captured 18-year-old Charles N’Zogbia from Le Havre, beating off competition from a number of other European clubs.

The left-sided midfielder has been training on Tyneside for the last few weeks, but United have kept his presence quiet and finally managed to push through a deal which will see them pay compensation to his current employers.

And the reaction within the club today suggested that they believe they have got their hands on a genuine talent who could be playing Barclays Premiership football before too long.

It was the club’s chief operating officer, Russell Cushing, who made the breakthrough last night after N’Zogbia told French Second Division side Le Havre that he did not want to sign another contract, although United are yet to issue an official confirmation as they tie up the remaining formalities.

The player, who was expected to break into the French club’s first team this season, had been identified through United’s scouting network, headed by chief scout Charlie Woods.

Work was continuing behind the scenes today to secure international clearance and complete the remaining paperwork to enable the youngster to begin his career in England.

The newcomer has been taken under the wing of compatriot Olivier Bernard, who joined the club under similar circumstances from Lyon in October 2000, and the talk around St James’ is that the two men could be playing in the same team sooner rather than later.

United have invested heavily in youth in recent years in the likes of Jermaine Jenas, Hugo Viana, Darren Ambrose and James Milner with varying degrees of success, although they are confident that they have staged a major coup in attracting N’Zogbia to the north-east.

With their efforts to land a right-back before the start of the new season ongoing, there was reason to be cheerful at St James’ today after a difficult 48 hours for the club.

Robson’s insistence that he knew nothing of chairman Freddy Shepherd’s confirmation of his impending departure sparked speculation, although the fact is that it surprised few who have followed the club’s progress closely over the last few months.

Neither man has added anything to the debate since Sunday evening, and it appears unlikely that they will do so in the immediate future, although the matter has certainly been discussed.

With the start of new season now less than a fortnight away, they need to - and will – present a united front to ensure that they have the best possible chance of fulfilling their ambitions on the pitch.

Meanwhile, Marseille have revealed that their interest in signing Laurent Robert is at an end, while United have had no contact with Espanyol, who have also been linked with the Frenchman.

Newcastle travel to Celtic for their latest pre-season friendly tomorrow night with striker Patrick Kluivert and midfielder Nicky Butt set for further action as they attempt to gain full match fitness ahead of the opening day trip to Middlesbrough.