Newly-appointed Newcastle United head coach Steve McClaren looks set to raid former club Derby County to complete his first two signings at the Magpies, according to a report in The Mag.

McClaren was sacked by Derby last month after a terrible end to the Championship season which saw his side fall from an automatic promotion place to missing out on the play-offs.

Despite the disappointment, though, he was still heavily linked with the manager's post at Newcastle and was confirmed as the Premier League club's head coach on Wednesday, succeeding interim boss John Carver.

Now, the former England manager could be set to go back to the Midlands to complete his first two pieces of business in charge at St James' Park.

It is believed that McClaren will look to begin a coaching shake-up on Tyneside with the addition of Paul Simpson as assistant coach, who was the 54-year-old's right-hand-man at Derby.

In addition to Simpson, former Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest boss McClaren will also seek to link up with Hull City midfielder Tom Ince.

The former Blackpool star was loaned to the Rams last season, making 18 league appearances and netting an impressive 11 goals, and McClaren is said to be a huge admirer of the 23-year-old.

He will, however, face competition from Derby, with new head coach Paul Clement reportedly willing to break the club's £3.5m transfer record to bring Ince to the iPro on a permanent basis.

Derby fans... What do you make of this news? Will Paul Simpson be missed at your club? And are you excited at the prospect of Tom Ince returning to the iPro? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below!