ALAN Shearer will pull on Newcastle’s revered number 9 shirt one more time next month when he teams up with Kevin Keegan’s old Entertainers outfit.

But he admits that the current Newcastle United side will find it mightily difficult to return to anywhere near the summit of the Premier League.

Shearer’s first season at St James’ Park in 1996/97 was the last real year of the Entertainers but he managed to help United back into the top four in 2001/02, 2002/03 and was part of the last Newcastle team that made it into Continental competition in 2006 as captain under Glenn Roeder.

Shearer will star for a Newcastle old boys team on October 9 at Kingston Park against Liverpool.

And reflecting on an interesting summer on Tyneside, and speaking on United’s chances of making a return to the upper echelons of the top flight, Shearer told The Journal: “Now? I think it will be very difficult. When you look at the finances that have been spent, like Liverpool, who have spent almost £115m to try to get in the top four.

“Then you have Man City, who have spent a hell of a lot more to get into the top four. Man United are there and will always be there, Chelsea are there too. There might be three leagues now in the Premier League.

“There are the four that can win the Premier League being Man United, Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool. There’s the two that will finish fifth and sixth I think in Spurs and Arsenal. I’m not sure which way round.

“And there’s that much between the rest of them between bottom and seventh. It will be tough because the finances to get into the top four are crazy now.”

Yet Match of the Day pundit Shearer has been impressed by the start made to the new campaign by United and said: “I saw them against Fulham and saw them as live on TV in other games. They have had a great start to the season.

“If you had offered that to them before the start of the season they’d have taken it, so hopefully they can build on that.”