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Hard Work In Store For Magpies
Written by Newcastle Utd
John Carver says Newcastle's training camp in Dubai will be a "working trip" and hopes that it will benefit the likes of returning star Siem de Jong
By Dan King - Newcastle United Digital Editor
Newcastle's players and staff head to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for a warm-weather training camp - with caretaker boss John Carver promising that the Magpies squad will be made to sweat in the Dubai heat.
Temperatures will be a far cry from the current sub-zero conditions on Tyneside but three training sessions have been scheduled for the three-day trip, which will see United return to the North-East of England on Thursday morning.
German champions Bayern Munich have just held their own camp in Qatar while Manchester City will travel to Abu Dhabi later this month.
Newcastle's trip was planned some time ago with a potential FA Cup fourth round tie in mind, but a 1-0 defeat at fellow Barclays Premier League side Leicester saw United crash out of the competition.
However, with a league trip to Hull City next up for Newcastle in just under a fortnight's time, Carver insisted that it will be no sunshine break for the Magpies, who have lost their last three games in all competitions.
"Absolutely not," he told nufcTV after Saturday's defeat to Southampton. "Not as far as I'm concerned.
"It'll be a working trip. There will be curfews. They'll have a day off on Wednesday, which is a normal week anyway, but we'll get some quality work done on the training ground."
Siem de Jong - who has been sidelined since August - will be on the flight as he steps up his return from injury and Carver added: "It was great to get Siem back on the training ground last week.
"It showed around the place, because he's an experienced player who will be a good player for this football club.
"So the quicker we can get him up and running, the better."