Callum Wilson has revealed that he has grown to like Joelinton 'even more' after spending an extended period of time with his Newcastle United team-mate during the Magpies' warm weather training camp in Dubai.
Eddie Howe has certainly been putting his players through their paces at the state of the art Nad Al Sheba Complex this week. However, the Newcastle head coach has also been keen to give the squad the chance to bond in a relaxed setting away from the training pitches like they did during a previous trip to Saudi Arabia back in January.
The majority of the players, after all, do not tend to spend time with each other away from the working environment at the training ground back home in Benton. COVID protocols previously limited contact even further and, at one point early on in the pandemic, the squad were training in smaller groups and changing in different areas.
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However, those days look to be behind Newcastle now and this latest warm weather break has given mid-season signings Matt Targett and Dan Burn the chance to really bed in while the injured Wilson and Kieran Trippier have also travelled. The squad have gone out for team meals and relaxed around the hotel swimming pool, and Joelinton has certainly made an impression after already catching the eye with his performances on the field in recent months.
"Joelinton is someone who you see him around the place and his English is good," Wilson told the Footballer's Football Podcast. "He has fairly good English and stuff like that but when you get him around an environment where you're around the pool having a laugh and having a little bit of banter and everyone's all together, what a guy, what a character.
"It's just made me like him even more as a person and as a player. He's definitely someone that's stood out to me since we have been out here as a team and I've enjoyed his company and being around him."
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