Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson has given an insight into his goalscoring mentality after he made his return from injury last weekend away at Manchester City. Eddie Howe's side fell 5-0 to a rampant City who looked a mirror image to the side that lost out to Real Madrid in the Champions League just days prior.
But one positive for the Magpies was the return of Wilson and right-back Kieran Trippier, who have both missed extensive time in 2022 due to severe injuries. And Wilson revealed his elation at returning to the pitch in black and white at the Etihad.
"It was nice, it was so nice," said Wilson on the BBC's 'The Footballer's Football Podcast', which he hosts alongside West Ham United striker Michail Antonio.
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"City away is never an easy one to come back to, but this is the Premier League, no game is easy so it was nice to be back out there, come on a bit later on in the game. We were 3-0 down at that time and it was all just about trying to help the team get back into the game. Tried to do that...should have done that!
"I've worked on the pitch for the last seven weeks doing all my fitness stuff and I felt in a really good place. I felt if needed I could have started the game. That's where you have to give credit to the sports science guys. They work hard behind the scenes."
Despite his extensive time out due to injury, Wilson remains the Magpies top scorer this season in the Premier League with six goals. Replacing striker Chris Wood on 68 minutes, the 30-year-old was thrust straight into the action, finding himself one on one with City shot-stopper Ederson on saved Wilson's effort from close range.
It was a chance Wilson felt he should have put away, with the striker revealing how a Premier League forward deals with missed chances at the highest level.
"I had an opportunity to score which is the most frustrating thing when you've been out for so long and you come back and you have a one-on-one, it's something that you've worked on in your rehab for so long that," Wilson told Antonio.
"Technically you know you can put it in. Nine times out of ten you score. I think it's that mentality shift from, training mode to actual game mode. Having that composure and that clinical-ness that's lacking.
"You replay it back in your head, you're in the dressing room after, you've just lost 5-0 and I know you should be disappointed about the result and things like that. I was more disappointed about me missing the opportunity because I feel it's my job to score goals, it's my job to carry the team forward.
"I was brought on at that point to get the team back in the game and having two great opportunities to do that, that's something I'll take away and analyse, reflect and this week now I will be on the training ground and I'll go over that same event and that same scenario with the mannequin and the goalkeeper rushing out on the same angle and I'll probably have it 10, 15, 20 times, so next time that opportunity comes again, it'll be like clockwork."
