Jamal Lewis loved hearing this player's Newcastle United stories

Lewis joined the club in a £15million deal last month from relegated Norwich City – and he has quickly settled into Steve Bruce’s Premier League starting XI.

The left-back spoke to Norwich team-mates Tim Krul and Grant Hanley, both former Newcastle players, about the move, and also discussed it with ex-United goalkeeper Steve Harper, who has a dual coaching role with the club and Northern Ireland, the country the 22-year-old represents.

Asked if he spoke to anyone about the switch, Lewis said: “Yeah, Tim Krul, Grant Hanley.

“To be fair, any person, any player that’s had anything to do with Newcastle, and anyone who’s even visited, has had nothing but great things to say about the city.

"Tim’s told me a lot, a lot of stories that I’ve enjoyed listening to. He’s so fond of Newcastle, he loves coming here. Once he found out, he was delighted for me.

“I spoke to Steve Harper, the goalkeeping coach at Northern Ireland. We spoke a few times about Newcastle. He’s another person who’s heavily associated with the club and who has amazing things to say.

“When that’s the general consensus, you’ve got to take that into mind. When that’s the general consensus, it’s a no-brainer.”

Lewis knew about the passion of United’s fanbase before he signed for the club.

“I think that’s what a footballer wants,” said Lewis. “You want fans to be honest with you. If you know you haven’t had a great game, or the teams not performing well, you’ve got to deal with that.

“Because the fans are so passionate, you have to allow them to voice their opinion. At the end of the day it’s a fans’ game. At the same time, when you’re winning, and doing well, they’ll tell you equally, or double, as much.

“I’m just really looking forward to interacting with fans once they’re allowed back in and playing in front of a full stadium.”

Northern Ireland – who beat Bosnia and Herzegovina last week on penalties to reach the finals of the Euro 2020 play-offs – play Norwich in a Nations League fixture tomorrow night.