Eddie Howe says returning Newcastle United stars have been taken aback by the scale of the changes at the club's Benton training base in recent months. The Magpies have splashed the cash to completely transform their Darsley Park training centre after admitting the previous setup fell below 'Championship standards'.
A single-story building, that features a hydrotherapy pool and brand new changing facilities, has been built on site, while the dining area and offices have been extended and improved. New state-of-the-art playing pitches were installed in recent months, while the Brazilians in the squad were delighted to see a new head tennis court brought in earlier this year.
For the likes of Isaac Hayden, Jeff Hendrick, Kell Watts and other stars returning from temporary stints away from Newcastle, the vast changes, completed in such a short space of time, are impressive.
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"It's funny, it's a bit like when you do your own house up, you don't notice the changes you've made," Howe said on Friday. "Then someone who hasn't visited will come in and go 'wow, this in incredible'. It's very much like that with us now.
"We've become accustomed to our environment now and we enjoy being here and working here. We feel like we're building the training ground much more in tune to where it needs to be.
"A couple of players have came back after not being here for a while and have been blown away by the change. We're getting there but I feel there's a lot more to do - but that's for another day."
More changes are in the works with Newcastle hoping to add further improvements to their current base before eventually relocating to a new training ground altogether.
In a recent application to the council, Newcastle explained the need for additional gym space and added offices on site, writing: "Modern professional football demands the provision of bespoke dedicated training facilities to enable teams to compete successfully at the highest levels nationally and internationally."
More changes are certainly needed, admits Howe, with the Newcastle boss hoping to improve the recovery features of the training facility in the near future. "There's certain things we need that we don't currently have which will elevate us in terms of recovery and making sure the players are right for the next game as quickly as possible," he added.
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