Newcastle United 2020/21 season ratings: Joe Willock 9, Steve Bruce 5, Joelinton 3

Top-flight safety secured and a 12th-place finish but little sign of progress from Magpies with owner Mike Ashley no closer to selling club

NEWCASTLE UNITED 2020/21 SEASON RATINGS - MANAGER: Steve Bruce 5 - Did exactly what owner Mike Ashley wanted: top-flight status, nothing more. Hindered by illness and injury to players but still got tactics and selections badly wrong in key games. Unpopular with fans and was lucky not to be sacked during run of two wins in 22 games.

Karl Darlow 6 - Started season in superb fashion and was even being talked-up for a possible England call-up, before form tailed-off and eventually lost his place to Dubravka. Found out he was going to be dropped from team ahead of Wolves game via a story in a newspaper. Shutterstock

GOALKEEPERS: Martin Dubravka 8 - Had to be patient at start of season with Darlow in good form but now safely restored as club's first choice. Excellent shot-stopper, who commands area and is all-round safe pair of hands. Might start attracting attention of bigger fish if he stays fit and in-form.

Mark Gillespie 4 - Third-choice keeper restricted to three cup appearances, once of which saw him drop a horrendous clanger against fourth-tier Newport in the League Cup.

DEFENDERS: Federico Fernandez 7 - The 32-year-old Argentine has been a reliable presence at centre-half and is one of only three defenders to have made more than 20 starts this season. Fernandez' contract comes to an end this summer and the club appear in no rush to offer him a new one.

Ciaran Clark 6 - Hit and miss season for the Irish defender. Can look a class act at times but is also prone to lapses in concentration. Also in his 30s and playing in an area Newcastle will need to strengthen.

Fabian Schar 5 - An injury-hit season for the Swiss who made just 13 league starts and was sent-off within 20 minutes of coming on in his latest comeback from injury against Arsenal. Rolled in confident penalty in final league game at Fulham to end season on high. Uncertain whether Newcastle will take up the option of extending his contract this summer. PA

Jamaal Lascelles 7 - The club captain's footwork can be a bit cumbersome at times but Newcastle miss Lascelles' physical presence and leadership skills when he's out of the team. Been a testing season for the 27-year-old who was knocked for six by Covid-19 and then saw his campaign ended by a foot injury.

Paul Dummett 7 - Geordie boy who saw his season decimated by injury - just 16 appearances. When he does play, is always a solid, reliable defender. Scored his first league goal since January 2016 in the 4-2 win over Leicester. Decision to play him as a wingback away to Sheffield United was prime example of manager's tactical failures.

Emil Krafth 6 - Swedish right-back improved in his second season in England after looking out of depth following his arrival. Looked shaky at times when asked to play centre-half due to injuries/illness. Scored his first goal for the club with excellent header in the 4-3 defeat at home to against Manchester City. Reuters

Javi Manquillo 6 - Spaniard is a more than useful squad player who can cover both full-back roles but has also struggled with injuries. Limited to 15 games and has been missed by the Magpies.

Jamal Lewis 5 - Highly-rated left-back signed for £15m from relegated Norwich last summer and started the season well. Particularly good pushing forward but as the season progressed became a liability defensively. The 23-year-old showed enough early on to suggest he can still make the grade.

Jacob Murphy 6 - After being loaned out the previous couple of seasons, the former Norwich wideman became a regular starter. Confidence can appear brittle at times and defensively he's not great but can whip in a mean cross and chipped in with a couple important goals (against Wolves and Burnley).

MIDFIELDERS: Sean Longstaff 4 - Midfielder who burst on to the scene in the 2018/19 campaign under Rafa Benitez in spectacular fashion. Struggled with form and fitness since and has gone backwards under Bruce. Still only 23 but could be make or break for his Magpies career next season. Getty

Matt Ritchie 7 - Scandalously under-used until the business end of the season when his drive and determination were crucial to Newcastle staying up. Wideman had training-ground bust-up when he called Bruce a "coward" after being publicly criticised by his manager.

Matty Longstaff 3 - A strange one. Newcastle fought tooth and nail to get the 21-year-old brother of Sean to sign a new deal at the club, then Bruce only started him in four games all season. Has promise but needs game time.

Jonjo Shelvey 6 - Midfielder is a staunch favourite of Bruce and if fit, a certain starter. Still capable of running the show with his passing and can spray the ball around like a quarterback. Should never have been made captain in Lascelles' absence and his lack of pace can be a problem against mobile opponents.

Isaac Hayden 7 - The Mr Reliable of Newcastle's midfield. Determined in the tackle, keeps it simple with his distribution and the team is stronger if he's in the starting XI. Season ended early by nasty knee injury picked up during the woeful 3-0 defeat at Brighton.

Jeff Hendrick 3 - Looked a decent free transfer arrival from Burnley in the summer and made an impressive goal-scoring debut in the opening win at West Ham. But it was all downhill from there. A anonymous in the majority of his 23 appearances and lost his starting place.

Miguel Almiron 5 - Another player who seems to have gone backwards since Bruce's arrival and it is still unclear what his best position is. Cannot fault his commitment but such a talented and pacy player should be contributing more to matches in goals and assists.

Ryan Fraser 4 - Another freebie who looked a good signing on paper but has been a disappointment. The Scotland international has struggled for form and fitness all season and flattered to deceive when he has started games.

Allan Saint-Maximin 8 - Like Lascelles, the French attacker was hit hard by Covid, leaving Newcastle without their main source of attacking flair midway through the season. Had to be eased back into the fray but gave the team desperately needed spark and is virtually unplayable in full flow.

Joe Willock 9 - Proved an inspired loan-signing from Arsenal in New Year. Contributed eight goals from midfield, even scoring three in a row as a substitute after being left on the bench by Bruce. Became youngest Premier League player to score six, then seven goals in successive games. Newcastle should go all-out to make move permanent.

STRIKERS: Joelinton 3 - A £40m striker who doesn't score, assist, hold the ball up or show regular flashes of game-changing skill. Kept his place in starting line-up when likes of Gayle and Carroll should have been given run. Six goals in 41 appearances (four in 30 in the league) makes it 10 in 85 overall. Appalling stats for a Newcastle No 9.

Callum Wilson 9 - Without his finishing skills, Newcastle would have gone down this season. Simple as that. The £20m signing from Bournemouth scored 12 goals in 28 appearances and would have been closer to 20 had it not been for injury.

Dwight Gayle 4 - Should feel aggrieved that he has not started more games instead of the hapless Joelinton. On rare occasions he did start, the goal-poaching striker who thrives on balls into the box was played in a wide role totally unsuited to his game.

Andy Carroll 4 - Disgracefully under-used. The 32-year-old might lack pace and struggle with injuries but remains a defender's nightmare if balls are put into box from wide. A frustrating waste of what is likely to be his last season at the club.

Mission accomplished for Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley. Another season in the Premier League is safely in the bag.

Manager Steve Bruce's position looked untenable during a catastrophic mid-season run of two wins in 22 games. After a 3-0 battering at fellow strugglers Brighton on March 20, Newcastle were in 17th place, just two points about third-bottom Fulham and Bruce's days looked numbered.

Tension within the squad was also making headlines. A story appeared in the The Telegraph before the game against Wolves that goalkeeper Karl Darlow was set to be dropped for Martin Dubravka – the problem being this was before the former had been told.

Following that game with Wolves, a blistering training ground row between Bruce and midfielder Matt Ritchie also found its way it's way into the public domain as the under-pressure manager vowed to find the club source who was feeding information to the media.

But Ashley stuck by his man and Newcastle rallied during the season finale, winning five of their last eight games, including the performance of the season in a 4-2 win at Leicester City.

It is worth noting, though, that such was the woeful efforts of the bottom three – Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United – this season, Newcastle could have taken one point from the remaining nine games after the Brighton defeat and still survived.

In Bruce's defence, there have also been some mitigating circumstances to Newcastle's troubles.

A Covid-19 outbreak cost them the services of club captain Jamaal Lascelles and attacking maverick Allan Saint-Maximin for a number of weeks, while injuries have prevented a settled defensive line-up throughout the campaign and cost them top goalscorer Callum Wilson for more than two months in the New Year.

On the positive side, Wilson, a £20 million summer signing from Bournemouth, scored 12 crucial goals and provided the cutting edge the team desperately needed up front.

The exciting Saint-Maximin's return from illness was crucial to Newcastle's late run, as was loan signing Joe Willock and his scarcely believable run of scoring in seven successive games.

They finished the season in 12th place, one point and one place better off than the previous campaign. But with Ashley still desperate to sell the club and Bruce still desperately unpopular with the fans, the future remains far from clear-cut for all concerned.

Above is a picture gallery of the Newcastle squad and their ratings for the 2020/21 season. To move on to the next picture, simply click on the arrows or scroll through on your device.