Ayoze Perez: Newcastle United can take title-winning confidence into Premier League

And the Spaniard hopes his positive year in the Championship has set himself up perfectly for a real breakthrough year in the top flight.

Perez was an integral part of Rafa Benitez’s side that won the second tier on the final day of last season.

While he started the campaign off slowly, having to watch on as summer signing Mo Diame was trusted with No 10 duties, Perez’s influence grew as the season progressed.

And the former Tenerife man ended his third year at United with 12 goals, his best haul in black and white.

While Perez admits life in the Championship was not easy, he can take little but positives from the experience, especially having ended the season with a winners medal draped around his neck.

When asked to assess his season, Perez said: “I felt really well.

“In the last game I was feeling good on the pitch, with confidence and I was scoring goals and I was happy in the team.

“It’s been a great season for me in general and for the team even more.

“I got 12 goals, which is a good number for me.

“The most important thing is the team, we have achieved something amazing, and I was part of it.”

Perez is sure United can take a lot of confidence from the way they won the title, into their return to the top flight.

He continued: “I loved it the last time I was there and I can’t wait for me and this club to be back.

“With the achievement of being Champions, we are even more confident than before.

“We know it’s going to be a hard battle but we’re going to be ready for it.

“The fans know we are going in the right direction.

“We are back in the Premier League, we are Champions, we are playing good football as a team.

“There are good reasons to be happy and we must keep working hard and trying to achieve more.”