Burn: Double duty will pay off for United

DAN Burn insists Newcastle’s players are enjoying Eddie Howe’s gruelling pre-season double sessions – and expects the head coach’s intense preparations to benefit them next season.

Newcastle United are currently in Austria ahead of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign, with clashes against German sides 1860 Munich and Mainz scheduled.

The Magpies will then travel to Portugal for a one-off game against Benfica before concluding their pre-season with a pair of St James’ Park friendlies against Atalanta and Athletic Bilbao.

Preparations for the upcoming season have seen a 29-man squad undertake double sessions as Howe aims to restore fitness levels within the camp.

The 44-year-old has earned a reputation for his relentless work rate and meticulous training methods.

Burn told NUFC TV he is enjoying getting back to work and thinks the punishing regime will pay off as the season continues.

“The sessions have been tough,” he said. “We’ve had double sessions but I think that’s what we need.

“The way the gaffer wants to play, you need to have a certain level of fitness. So yeah, it has been tough, but enjoyable. By the time the season comes around you want to hit the ground running.

“It is a shorter pre-season this year, with the season starting earlier. So I think that’s (fitness) really important.”

The 30-year-old also stressed the importance of team bonding while away in Austria. Last year, the growing spirit within the firstteam squad was evident by the post-match picture in the dressing room after each win.

Players have already enjoyed go-karting together as they gear up for another rigorous campaign.

As someone who has competed in the lower divisions, Burn knows how much a united squad can affect performances on the pitch.

He added: “There were five races in each and then the lowest five times had to do a forfeit. The go-karts weren’t the biggest so I was chewing my knees most of the way around but it was good - I enjoyed it!

“The teams I’ve played in where we’ve always performed the best have been the closest, when I’ve gained promotion a couple of times. Even at Brighton, we had a really tight group. I think that’s massively important.

“(We have) a lot of different cultures and people from all over the world so just to learn a bit about them is good.”