Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle says he is uninterested in dwelling on what might have been when highly-rated Aston Villa midfielder Johan Manzambi visits St James' Park this weekend.
Manzambi looked set for a switch to Tyneside over the summer but the deal was hijacked as Villa swooped in to sign the Switzerland international, who has flourished during his short time in the midlands.
The 21-year-old opened the scoring in Villa's 6-0 Champions League rout of Fenerbahce in midweek and he could rub salt into his former suitors' wounds when Newcastle welcome Unai Emery's side on Saturday.
But while Jaissle, who succeeded Eddie Howe after Manzambi snubbed a move to the north-east, is a fan of the youngster, the German side-stepped the question of whether he would have liked him in his ranks.
"He is a really good player," said Jaissle, who will be looking for a response after Monday's 4-1 loss at Coventry. "But I'm not here to talk now about players, about rumours, about potential signings.
"The pure focus is on our players. We have many things to do, many things to improve, and that's the approach to not get distracted by anything else."
Sean Steur was among Newcastle's midfield recruitments in the summer, with the teenager impressing in the 2-1 win over Hull before the international break although he was curiously left out at Coventry.
"He's knocking on the door due to his quality, he's shown that in training sessions, this is a player who I believe where he will give us so much joy and fun in the future at this club," Jaissle said.
"But he needs time. He's had ups and downs already this season. He should continue developing."
Steur's place in Newcastle's XI earlier this week went to fellow summer signing Nico González but Jaissle insisted the pair are capable of playing together in the middle of the park in the future.
"From the player profile they are quite similar, also due to their qualities and how they interpret the position, but there is also a potential to see both," Jaissle said.
Joelinton is poised for his first start of the season for Newcastle while Dan Burn looks set to be on the bench again, with Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey poised to return to light training next week.
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Newcastle rebounded from last month's 4-1 hammering at Leeds by overcoming Hull and Jaissle is hoping for a similar response against Villa following his side's damaging setback at Coventry.
"The lads know they need to show a reaction, we need to show a reaction as a team and I'm optimistic we can do that at home," Jaissle added.
"We are aware of what we are facing but at home, with our crowd at our backs, we can hurt every opponent."
