Newcastle United have hit out at a recent report claiming that manager Alan Pardew is nearing the sack.

The Sunday Express printed a story over the weekend suggesting that Pardew was close to being dismissed if the team did not win their upcoming match against Aston Villa.

However, Newcastle have now banned the publication for what they believe was an attempt to unsettle the club.

"We consider it extremely poor practice for a newspaper to print such an article without first seeking comment or clarification from the club," read a statement on Newcastle's official website.

"The article was completely untrue and we can only assume published for commercial reasons or as an attempt to unsettle and disrupt. Newcastle United will not accept false, misleading, mischievous or inflammatory reporting such as this and will take appropriate action as and when necessary.

"To this end, Newcastle United can confirm that the Sunday Express is banned with immediate effect. This ban does not extend to the paper's sister publications, including the Daily Star, who made contact with the club to check the validity of the story and accordingly did not publish it."

Newcastle welcome Aston Villa to St James' Park in the Premier League on Saturday.