Manchester United legend Roy Keane has issued a damning assessment on Newcastle United's chances of retaining their Premier League status.
Steve Bruce's side travelled to Turf Moor to tackle Burnley in their latest clash on Sunday on a run of just two victories in their last 19 fixtures.
However, an draw against Tottenham last weekend has provided encouragement for the Magpies heading into the closing stages of the season and has raised hope that a great escape could be witnessed.
While that has earned Bruce's side some praise, Keane remains unconvinced by Newcastle and doesn't believe they'll be able to string together a sequence of results to push them away from the drop zone.
"It seems to be, for all the praise they've had recently, they've never been able to really get out of trouble," Keane told Sky Sports.
"They got themselves close and couldn't deal with the pressure. In 32 games, they have won five all season. It's going to be a big ask, why do we think they can win three or four in the last few games?
"It's going to be a big ask for them and they've run out of steam. They've lacked goals, lacked quality in the final third and that has caught up with them."
Newcastle entered the clash against Burnley with a four-point advantage over the relegation zone, with Fulham losing to Wolves on Friday evening.
Victory against the Lancashire outfit would extend that advantage to seven points, which may be decisive heading into the final six matches of the campaign.
The two relegation rivals are due to clash on the final day of the season in the top-flight, which could make or break the hopes for both sides.
.jpg?w=600)
