Rafa's Raring To Go

By Tom Easterby - Newcastle United Club Reporter

Rafa Benitez is anticipating a positive pre-season period when the Magpies return for training on Friday - and says that his squad must understand "what it means to be at this Club" as they bid for promotion this season.

Newcastle United boss Benitez has made one addition to his squad this week - goalkeeper Matz Sels, who will join up with the rest of the United players when they report for training after the summer break at United's Benton base on Friday morning.

Before beginning his first full campaign at St. James' Park, the Spaniard has outlined what he is expecting from his charges when they return to the training pitch, with the Sky Bet Championship opener at Fulham just over a month away.

And he believes that his players must appreciate all that comes with wearing the black and white stripes, with the city fully behind them.

"We have all the medicals and all the controls, and I expect to have a very good pre-season," Benitez told nufc.co.uk.

"Normally, because they are professional, they'll come back fit and we'll try to improve the fitness of players, but also their understanding of the game, their understanding of our ideas and the way that we want to play, and try to work as a unit, as a team.

"And after that, we'll try to give them a little bit of what it means to be at this Club, what it means to be a player here. Now, we have to show all these things in the Championship.

"They have to realise that we have massive support from the city - not just from the people in the stadium, but from the city - and we have to do really well to match these expectations."

The Magpies travel to Ireland for a week-long training camp on Saturday, 9th July, with a friendly against Bohemian scheduled for the following weekend.

Further warm-up matches against Doncaster Rovers, Lokeren and Vitesse have also been confirmed.

And Benitez says that the period leading up to that trip to Craven Cottage on Friday, 5th August is a "special" time that his players will return prepared for.

"I think that we have time and we have the right conditions to prepare the team, and be sure that we approach the first game, on the 5th August, in the best conditions," he said.

"It will not be quite perfect, because you need match fitness, but as close as possible to these conditions.

"The pre-season is always special. You have a lot of players coming and players leaving so it is quite a difficult period. But we have to be sure, and we are sure, that they will come with energy and they will come ready."