'Very soon' - Lee Dixon makes Newcastle United manager prediction

Lee Dixon has been talking about Newcastle United's season, Paulo Fonseca and Graeme Jones

View Image

Former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon believes Newcastle United will have enough to stay in the Premier League despite their dismal start to the season.

The Magpies currently sit inside the relegation zone with just three points from their opening eight matches and could drop to rock bottom should results go against them.

Nevertheless, they travel to Crystal Palace this afternoon and Graeme Jones will take charge of his first game on an interim basis after Steve Bruce was dismissed earlier in the week.

This is despite a number of different coaches being linked to the permanent job, including Antonio Conte, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

But Dixon has claimed that Jones could turn their fortunes around but admitted that the next two matches against Palace and Chelsea are 'really important'.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Friday Football Social, he said: "I think the important thing is that they need to stay up. I think they have enough quality in the squad to do that.

"They need to stop improving pretty quickly but he (Jones) might do that, he'll bring enthusiasm into the squad and they may get a bit of luck.

"But moving forward, you've got to look at recruitment, all of those aspects of what you're going to do, how much money they're going to give the new manager whoever that is.

"I think it's a really important next two games for Newcastle. If they can just get something out them, a win and a draw and then they'll be in a position to climb.

"At the moment, they're scrambling around at the bottom of the league not knowing where their next point is going to come from. I'm sure he's gone in simplifying things, with his own ideas and he hasn't got a lot of time."

Paulo Fonseca is understood to be interested in the top job after he left Roma at the end of last season.

The 48-year-old has previously managed the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto and Braga.

According to Dixon, the Portuguese coach has already been interviewed for the position at Newcastle and predicts that he could be appointed 'very soon'.

He added: "I believe he interviewed really well, and I think from the noises coming out from that interview, you would imagine that he is going to be given the appointment very soon."