Sven Botman admits he is relishing the prospect of pitting his wits against Manchester City with £85million sensation Erling Haaland due on Tyneside this weekend.
The Dutch defender made his full debut away to Brighton & Hove Albion and helped keep a clean sheet in the south coast stalemate at the weekend. But now faces a huge test against the Premier League champions with Pep Guardiola's side making the perfect start to the new season with two victories against West Ham and Bournemouth.
Yet Botman is far from daunted about facing one of the top teams and told Chronicle Live: "The first question was why the Premier League. "But the answer is the level is so high, you want to play against top players.
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"You just want to play here and see yourself against these types of strikers. "I like challenges so this is the biggest one for me."
Botman may have made his own big money move from Lille to Newcastle for £34million no less. But the 22-year-old is down to earth and humble character.
And he admits a loan spell at Heerenveen during his Ajax days helped him to see the other side of football. Indeed, his stint with the Dutch minnows saw him experience different facilities compared to the Amsterdam giants and two defeats against his parent club at the time.
Botman said: "When I went on loan to Heerenveen for one season it was really good for me. "I had a different environment to Ajax.
"At Ajax, all the facilities are a great level. "Seeing things from the other side, where everything is not top level, was good. You see that you aren't just playing for yourself to show you can live with it like at Ajax. "You are playing for the other 10 players.
"It was really good for me. "I'd sign a new contract at Ajax but I knew in my own head that Ajax was not the best choice for me. Lille came in and Lille would fit me much better. "I had a good chat with Erik ten Hag at that time and went to Lille."
Lille merely whetted Botman's appetite for the big nights in football with clashes in Europe against the likes of Chelsea and RB Leipzig handing him some tough assignments.
Botman said: "In my first season I went there and had a great time. "We were champions in my first season.
"My second season was a bit different in Ligue 1 as a lot of players left the club. "But we played Champions League football which was really nice. We played good teams like Chelsea and RB Leipzig, Wolfsburg. "Great teams to test yourself and that will help me with Newcastle."
Botman knows he will be in for much more physical test in the Premier League but feels that life in the competitive French league has put him in a great position.
Botman reflected: "It's a good step to go from France to England. "France is maybe not the highest level in Europe but you play against good strikers and big-name players.
"When you play against Lyon or Monaco the level is really high in those matches. "Against St Etienne or Montpellier, it's also really tough because you play against strong and fast strikers. This was a good step just before the Premier League."
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