Eddie Howe is hoping his Newcastle United side come back to Tyneside a “better team” after arriving for our warm-weather training camp in Riyadh last night.
11 months on from our last trip, the squad are once again using a mid-season break to travel to Saudi Arabia; where we’ll look to build fitness, maintain togetherness and keep the players sharp ahead of a busy run of competitive fixtures later this month.
Ahead of our friendly against Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal on Thursday, Howe also admitted that we played a behind-closed-doors training game with Middlesbrough last Friday; saying he was “very pleased” with that run out and the “real test” the Championship side posed (without revealing the score!).
Howe is ‘delighted’ with Alexander Isak’s recovery from a thigh injury and hoping to emulate the impact this trip had last season, believing the visit ‘galvanised’ the group earlier in the year to kickstart our superb form in 2022.
He also confirmed that Dan Burn will be joining the group in the next day or two, saying that a period of illness was the reason he didn’t fly out with the group on Sunday.
Speaking to NUFC TV, here’s a snippet of what the 45-year-old had to say, followed by his comments to the club’s official website prior to us jetting off:
Howe to NUFC.co.uk:
“The break for the World Cup gives us the opportunity for a mini pre-season ahead of a crucial part of the season.
“Our trip to Jeddah in January was pivotal for us last season.
“It galvanised the group, and the hard work the players put in was rewarded in performances and results on our return.
“We will have access to world class facilities as refurbishments at our own training ground continue, and we look forward to facing Al-Hilal and playing in front of our growing numbers of supporters in the region.”
