Callum Wilson reveals what Newcastle United teammates did to him ahead of 'frustrating' injury return

The striker came off the bench for the final 25 minutes of the match as Newcastle fell to a 5-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.

It was the first time Wilson had featured for United since being forced off with a serious calf injury against Manchester United in December.

While Wilson admitted it was ‘so nice’ to get back out on the pitch, a one-on-one chance he had that was stopped by Ederson has haunted him ever since.

"It was nice, it was so nice,” Wilson said. “City away is never an easy one to come back to but this is the Premier League and no game is easy.

"I came on a bit later in the game and we were 3-0 down at the time and it was all just about helping the team get back into the game.

"I tried to do that, should have done that, 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 then you have a one-on-one, it's something you've worked on throughout your rehab for so long that technically, you know you can put it in and nine times out of 10 you score.

“I'm a matchday finisher and by my standards I was thoroughly disappointed. It's something that has haunted me for the last couple of days but that's also something that when you're fit and playing you're just like boom, boom, boom, boom, you've got another opportunity to do it.

"But for me, because there's only two games left now, it's like time is running out and I'm trying to make up for lost time. Any opportunity like that, I'm hard on myself, I have to score that.

"The main thing is that I've come back having chances and opportunities to score and as a striker that is the most important thing.”

Wilson also revealed that two of his Newcastle teammates – who shall remain unnamed – gave him a wholehearted ‘welcome back’ when he returned to full training the week prior.

“The week leading into the [Manchester City] game I had two of my teammates smash me in training and it's not really heard of where they smash you,” Wilson said on the Footballer’s Football Podcast.

"I'm like 'lads what are you doing?' And they're like 'welcome back!' One hit me on the back of my calf on that same side [as the injury] and another one smashed me on my hip on that side so I was walking around like an old man!

"I was able to clear up and get out of my head because I'd known in training that I'd been hit left, right and centre by centre-backs so in the game it would have been easy.

"I've worked for the last seven weeks on the pitch doing all my fitness stuff. I felt in a really good place and I felt if needed I could have started the game so you have to give credit for the sports science guys who work hard behind the scenes.”

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