Joey Barton is due to have talks with Newcastle United officials within the next seven days to determine his future at the club. The troubled midfield player’s status at St James’ Park should become clearer next week when, after his release from prison less than seven weeks into a six-month sentence for assault and affray, he meets Kevin Keegan, his manager, and Derek Llambias, the club’s managing director.

Sources on Tyneside last night played down suggestions that the 25-year-old’s £3 million-a-year contract has already been terminated and Barton expects to join Keegan’s squad for the start of preseason training on Monday with his liberty restored, albeit with him wearing an electronic tag.

The four-month sentence, suspended for two years, that he received yesterday for an unrelated assault on Ousmane Dabo, his former Manchester City teammate, will not strengthen his bargaining position with the club, which has already attempted, unsuccessfully, to make Barton agree to a 50 per cent reduction in his salary.

The once-capped England international may have an opportunity tomorrow to gauge the reception that awaits him from Keegan. The Newcastle manager, who has steadfastly supported a player of whom he was also in charge at City, will have the chance to make his feelings known when he faces the media at Newcastle airport, where an aircraft is to be named in his honour.

“We can’t really say too much until Joey is released,” Willie McKay, Barton’s agent, said yesterday after the player was also ordered to undertake 200 hours’ community service and pay £3,000 compensation to Dabo, who was left unconscious after the training-ground fracas last year. McKay said: “We’ll be sitting down and talking about Joey’s future and he’s aiming to be back for preseason training next week.”

A Newcastle club statement last night said: “Newcastle United notes the sentence passed to Joey Barton today. The club now intends to hold discussions with Joey and his representatives at the earliest possible opportunity.”

In trying to salvage his client’s professional career, McKay made the claim that, despite his incarceration, Barton will return to work in better condition than his colleagues. “He’s in the best shape I’ve ever seen him in and he’ll be fitter than anybody else,” McKay said.

Sylvain Distin, the Portsmouth and former City defender, has been ordered to attend court to explain his failure to appear at Barton’s trial to give evidence. The player twice did not respond to a court summons to act as a witness and an investigating officer told the court that when he warned him to attend court, or face arrest, Distin laughed and said: “You can lock me up for ten years, I’m not coming back off my holiday.”