Magpies land back at pre-season training

NEWCASTLE’S players returned for pre-season training yesterday amid hopes that a breakthrough off the field could be just days away.

Aside from a handful of players given extra time to recover from international commitments, as well as the out-of-contract pair Michael Owen and Mark Viduka, those members of the squad who failed to keep Newcastle in the Premier League reported back to the club’s Darsley Park training headquarters for a 10am start.