Newcastle United have undergone a reset this summer and it has split opinion

The Newcastle United project under Eddie Howe was 'finished' and the Magpies' stark reset this summer has been a necessary procedure.

That is the frank verdict of Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, who believes the only way United can compete in the current climate is to embrace player trading.

Newcastle have lost Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier this summer and also sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool inside the last 12 months.

They have signed five players this summer with goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek being the oldest recruit aged 24. Fellow goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen, winger Bazoumana Toure and midfielders Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba have also arrived, with all four of those players aged 20 or under.

It is a change of transfer tack that has raised eyebrows but club insiders feel 'energised' about the new season and a fresh start under new head coach Matthias Jaissle.

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Newcastle CEO David Hopkinson dubbed this summer's reset as the launchpad for 'Newcastle 2.0' and Carragher agrees that a reset was needed, comparing the situation to his Liverpool side under Rafa Benitez.

"The project is finished. Not totally finished but I have seen this with my own club at Liverpool and probably going back to Arsene Wenger's time at Arsenal," Carragher told the Football Ramble podcast.

"People have said Eddie Howe has left because people are leaving but these players were always getting sold this summer. The project with Eddie Howe was finished as in it ran its course and they couldn't do any more.

"The most it could do was win a domestic cup and qualify for the Champions League and they have done that. The problem you have, and this goes back to my time at Liverpool under Rafa Benitez with [Fernando] Torres, [Javier] Mascherano and [Xabi] Alonso, your best players are better than what the club can do.

"So if Newcastle don't get in the Champions League, they have Champions League players and those players are going to leave. Newcastle finished 12th and those players are going to leave because they should be playing for teams playing in the Champions League and challenging for the league.

"So what you have got to do as a club is, is get the most money you can for them and that is what they did. Because they are not going to be happy staying there.

"I was frustrated at Liverpool. We got Champions League semis and finals and almost won the league but once we had bad season everyone just went and I was frustrated at the time.

"But the more I look at it, I get it. They are not from Liverpool and it is a bit like: 'I've got one career and I can play for Barcelona or Real Madrid and I am not waiting for Liverpool to go again'.

"So Newcastle off the back of last season need to go again in terms of building up to qualifying for Europe and in two years maybe getting in the Champions League. These players can't wait for that.

"I have got no problem with them leaving and I think Newcastle have actually done well getting top dollar for the players and have to start again.

"If you go back to the start of Eddie Howe. Those players we are talking about were good players but he made them great players. Guimaraes comes in from Lyon, Gordon from Everton, Isak from Real Sociedad.

"They have got to go back to those people that Arsenal, Liverpool or Man City don't want, or don't think are quite good enough, and make them better."