Cabaye's Looking Ahead

By Dan King - Newcastle United Club Reporter

Newcastle United's contingent of January signings will return to Tyneside for their first Barclays Premier League pre-season campaign over the next few days, and Yohan Cabaye believes they'll be all the better for a full summer with their new team-mates.

French stars Moussa Sissoko, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Massadio Haidara, Mathieu Debuchy and Yoan Gouffran all had to hit the ground running last term after arriving midway through the season to help the Magpies maintain their top flight status.

But now, with the squad reporting back to Benton in three groups this week before beginning pre-season training en masse, the quintet will be able to build up their fitness with the rest of the team at the Club's training centre as well as having more time to adjust to their surroundings.

And compatriot Cabaye, who will be given a few extra days off having being on international duty this summer, feels that will be a big help ahead of the new season which starts at Manchester City in August.

"I think so, because the new players who came in January are going to have more time to adapt to the Premier League style," he told nufc.co.uk.

"Hopefully we're going to have some time to prepare well for next season and to be fit for a big part of the season, because that's going to be important to play for a place near the top of the league."

Last season, of course, Alan Pardew's side found themselves at the wrong end of the table and finished a disappointing 16th, although they also reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

But Cabaye was pleased with the way the whole team stuck together through some tough times and believes that will serve them well for the campaign to come.

"It was a difficult season for us," he admitted. "We started quite well and then had a big hole where we were losing a lot of games.

"We had a lot of injuries to players as well, with big players missing, and that was hard when we were playing in the Premier League and the Europa League.

"But we fought together and stayed together and we fought to be a Premier League squad next season which is the most important thing, I think.

"We have to learn about our mistakes but the main thing was safety and the Club staying in the Premier League. So it was a hard and difficult season but I think for the future, it's going to be interesting because we learnt a lot."

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