BUILDING A BETTER NEWCASTLE 6/26 UPDATE: STEPHEN IRELAND AND KEITH TREACY

Even before Alan Pardew had seen Stephen Ireland play a match for Newcastle, he was talking about the midfielder's chances of securing a permanent move to Tyneside.

It was only natural to think that if Ireland came in and showed signs of resuscitating his career, United would make a bid this summer. Of course, the first part never happened. Ireland made two substitute appearances in black and white before an ankle injury sent him back to Aston Villa - which brought a halt to any talk about a summer transfer.

Until Sunday, that is, when a story in the Sunday Sun by Mark Douglas said Newcastle is, in fact, still interested in Ireland and might make a late move in August. That prompted us to update our transfer guide to include the 24-year-old (along with Preston North End's Irish winger Keith Treacy, who we have a hard time envisioning at United).

While Ireland would bring a different skill set to Newcastle's midfield, everything else that comes with him - his lack of form since the 2008-09 season, his diva lifestyle and the price (not so much the transfer fee, but the salary he'd likely demand) - makes him a less attractive target than some of the other players United has been linked with this summer. In January, Ireland was worth taking a chance on given the lack of alternatives. That shouldn't be the case now.