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Gayle on the cover for Gunners visit
Written by Tom Easterby
Dwight Gayle is Newcastle United’s matchday programme cover star for Sunday’s Premier League visit of Arsenal (1.30pm kick-off).
United welcome the Gunners to St. James’ Park this weekend and forward Gayle – who was on Arsenal’s books between the ages of seven and 12 – is the player in focus, with a ten-page exclusive interview inside the latest issue.
In it, the 27-year-old – who has scored the most goals of any Magpies player under Rafa Benítez – reflects on his time with the Gunners, and gives an insight into life inside the Newcastle dressing room.
The former Crystal Palace forward also addresses those who have questioned whether he can lead the line in the top flight with the same ruthlessness his displayed in Newcastle’s Championship title-winning campaign.
“I knew there were going to be a lot of doubters and people who wouldn’t perhaps think I could do it in the Premier League,” Gayle told UNITED. “Ultimately, I haven’t scored as many goals as I would have liked, so I’ve still got a lot to prove.
“At Crystal Palace, I felt that I scored goals when I played, but I perhaps wasn’t giving a lot to the team so I didn’t start as many games as I would have liked. This season, after the first ten or 15 games, I’ve played a lot more and I think that was the thing I was looking to do this season. If I can mix that with goals, that would be perfect.”
As well as the full interview with Gayle, there is plenty more to enjoy in Sunday’s issue. In this week’s United Backstage feature, physiotherapist Michael Harding explains how his role at the club involves far more than just the appliance of science, delving into the relationship between the Magpies’ first-team stars and the medical department.
Elsewhere, defender Pat Howard – who played in two cup finals for United during the ‘70s – chats about one or two of his favourite memories of his time on Tyneside, as well as his brief spell with Sunday’s visitors, Arsenal.
Young frontman Tyrique Bartlett – a regular starter for Newcastle’s Under-23s since the New Year – is the player in focus in this week’s High Hopes, in which we get to know the South African a little better.
And there’s much more, too, including Club Historian Paul Joannou’s account of a little-known chapter in the Magpies’ European history.
To read all of this, pick up a copy of UNITED from around St. James’ Park or inside the club store on Sunday, priced at just £3.
"This season, after the first ten or 15 games, I’ve played a lot more and I think that was the thing I was looking to do this season. If I can mix that with goals, that would be perfect."