Callum Wilson has revealed that the players are training ‘with a lot more intensity now’ following Eddie Howe’s arrival on Tyneside.
Speaking to The Chronicle, our number nine admits that our fitness levels are being worked on in order to adopt the ‘attacking’ style of play Howe plans to deliver.
Wilson states that there’ll be ‘a lot more pressure on the ball’ and reveals that Howe wants to see us play higher up the pitch – something we rarely did under Steve Bruce.
It seems the new boss has also clamped down on discipline in and around the training ground, with Wilson admitting that the 43-year-old demands high-standards and professionalism, also pushing to improve our togetherness as a team and club.
Here’s what our top scorer has had to say after being reunited with his former boss, praising his impact after a ‘great week’ on the training ground:
Wilson on the new style of play and tough training schedule:
“The test that we did, the bleep test, was just a six-minute one.
“But that was to gauge where our fitness levels are.
“We are obviously training with a lot more intensity now.
“To play a certain style of play you have to cope with the demands of that training.
“And we want to play attacking football.
“There will be a lot more pressure on the ball and we will be further up the pitch.
“To do that, you need to train this way (intensely) and to train that way you have to improve your fitness levels.
“For us, we have had a style of play where we have not had much of the ball and sat back more.
“So you get to a certain level of fitness.
“All of a sudden if you aren’t working on that, week in, week out, day in, day out – you are going to drop off a little bit slightly.
“For us, this has been a good time now to get some more high speed runs into our legs and more intensity into our legs.
“Hopefully that will stand us in good stead for when the games start coming thick and fast.”
Wilson on being reunited with his former boss:
“It was a good moment.
“In football, you try to focus on your job but you do hear people talking about different managers coming in or getting messages from people saying: ‘You could be getting reunited here’.
“Things like that do get said on the circuit.
“But you try to focus on your job.
“Right now though the new owners see him as the perfect fit and it’s been a great week.
“The transition has been great with the new manager.
“Training has a lot more intensity.
“It’s been really good to be reunited.
“When somebody has helped you so much in your career and gave you the platform in the past to go out and showcase your talent and perform you are grateful.
“We have such a good relationship anyway, but strange things happen in football.
“Our paths have crossed again.
“And I am sure there will be more success as there was with Bournemouth.
“With the manager, having worked with him in the past, when you are working together, you go on a journey.
“In my experience with him you start somewhere and you work a certain way.”
Wilson on Howe’s demands:
“He will clamp down on any discipline and anything that needs to be done.
“He will demand high standards and professionalism – all the things that you need to be to compete in the Premier League week in, week out.
“If we have that it will ultimately bring a togetherness.
“You go on to the pitch and you are running for each other, working for the manager and the team-mates.
“That is the environment they are trying to create here.
“It’s not just each individual.
“We are a team, a club and all United together.”
So diametrically opposed to what they as players have had in the last couple of years! 😆
Arthur HUME(Quote)