Muñoz "ready" for Premier League 2 opener

United's second-string completed an unbeaten pre-season campaign with victories over La Liga side Elche and their Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield United counterparts and travel to Albion's Training Ground for their opening fixture of their 2022/23 Division Two campaign (kick-off 5pm BST).

Muñoz recently made his Magpies first-team debut as a second-half substitute against Athletic Club on Saturday and is aiming to continue his bright start to the season after netting twice for Newcastle's youngsters in three friendly outings.

The Mexican forward, a representative of his country at under-23 level, told nufc.co.uk: "I think all of the team is ready and very excited for the season to start. We've trained well in pre-season, with our trip to Spain and all of the friendly matches we've played.

"We have a lot of confidence from going unbeaten in the friendly matches and scoring a lot of goals. It's been good and the way we have been playing has been positive for the group.

"Last season, we missed out on the play-offs by one point but our pre-season has been very good and we are so motivated to be challenging towards the top and trying to get into the play-offs this season.

"I am happy to have scored two goals in pre-season and start the season going forward. The coaching staff have showed a lot of faith in me which gives me a lot of confidence."

Newcastle's senior squad travelled to Portugal last week for their pre-season clash against Benfica, with Muñoz selected to make the trip to Lisbon along with Matt Bondswell, Jay Turner-Cooke and Alex Murphy.

After sampling a taste of first-team action, 12 months since arriving on an 18-month loan from Santos Laguna, the North American youngster is determined to gain further stints at first-team level.

"It was very good experience to travel with the first-team to Portugal," the 19-year-old added. "I got to know some of the players and I took a lot of positives from it. I learnt a lot, how they train and play and it gives me an idea of how to continue moving forward.

"I also got to make my first-team debut for Newcastle, playing at St. James' Park. It was something very special. It was an incredible atmosphere, playing in front of so many fans, and it gives me inspiration to keep working and to do my thing. 

"Those experiences make me want it more. I want to be playing at that level regularly and it's in me to keep working. At the minute, I am confident and happy with the team, club and city. 

"I have been working hard, watching a lot of videos and carrying out meetings with coaches and staff. I think I am improving and I aim to continue doing that."