Youngster signs new deal

"Joey has just signed for another year. He is on the fringes of the first team and the idea of a years contract is to let us see if he does well. I have explained that to his agent," manager Kevin Keegan told the clubs official website.

"But if he does not do well he really doesn't want to be stuck here as a twenty-one-year-old when he could be playing elsewhere. I think football has gone very short term in that respect.

"If Joey Barton does well he will get his rewards. If he does not then he is free to talk to other clubs next Christmas."