Woodgate prevented from Elland Road return

Newcastle's Jonathan Woodgate will not be unveiled in the first team at Elland Road thanks to a clause written into his contract…

Newcastle's Jonathan Woodgate will not be unveiled in the first team at Elland Road thanks to a clause written into his contract by Leeds United before his departure.

Leeds ensured that the player, whose move caused so match unrest within Elland Road, will not be permitted to play.

The fixture was deemed to be too close to the defender's transfer date, fueling fears of a hostile and possibly disruptive response by fans towards the Leeds board or indeed the player.

It is believed that a similar clause was to be written into the contract of Lee Bowyer after he departed for West Ham but the London club would not agree to it.

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"Obviously it's quite political if Jonathan came back to Elland Road so soon after leaving," club secretary Ian Sylvester told BBC Sport Online.

"We just agreed that we didn't want that to happen. The player's not fit anyway so I don't think it's an issue.

"It's something Leeds United wanted so the chairman asked me to put it in the agreement. Newcastle were quite happy to go along with it."