Former Newcastle United chief Dennis Wise has jumped to the defence of club owner Mike Ashley.

Speaking on Sky Sports' The Debate, Wise was happy to support Ashley after claims of him ending sale talks with PCP Capital Partners.

He said, “People have to realise what Mike Ashley is about and I don't think they do.

“He won't allow that football club to go to anyone. I think he wants to know that the next person who takes over that football club is going to take it forward."

Wise claims that Ashley has the club's best interest at heart, and said: “He could probably do a deal with someone really cheaply and get rid of it and get rid of the hassle that he gets time after time or he can make sure that it goes to someone who he thinks will move that football club forward and I think that's Mike for you, he's that type of person.

“You have to realise he put money into that football club when it had quite a bit of debt, I think a quarter of a billion pounds he put into that football club to make sure there was no debt and buy it, he put his money where his mouth is there, he runs it in structured manner because he doesn't want that football club to get in the same situation as it did before where it owes money."