After returning from an impressive loan spell in League One, highly-rated defender Kell Watts is one of SIX Newcastle players who’ve been spotted doing some early work at the club’s training base.
The squad isn’t officially due back for pre-season until next month, however the Alnwick-born U23 star has been back putting the work in at Benton along with Jacob Murphy, Sean Longstaff, Matty Longstaff, Paul Dummett and Mark Gillespie over the past week.
The 21-year-old centre-back clearly caught the eye of Jamaal Lascelles last summer, with the skipper revealing that the 6ft 4′ talent “blew everyone out of the water” – including Miguel Almiron – during pre-season fitness drills in 2020.
Here’s pictures of the six players back in training, followed by Lascelles’ comments on Watts prior to his impressive loan spell at Plymouth:
“We’ve been doing 1,500 metre runs, five times, as fast as we can,”
“In fairness to the young lad, Kell Watts, he has just smashed everyone there and got the best time.
“My money was on Miggy but Kell has just blown everyone out the water.
“He is a great pro, he is a great character and he understands his position. He understands he has got to reach a certain level.
“Some of the younger lads nowadays play a couple of games, get in the papers and think they have made it but Kell has been out on loan, he knows what it is like down at Stevenage and at Mansfield and he is always looking to improve his game.
“He is always talking to the senior players and he has got a great character.
“It is refreshing to see and he is pushing us.
He is a great credit to the group.”
Good to see the lads coming back early and a big congratulations to Jacob Murphy, with our most improved player for 2020/21 becoming a dad this week!
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