Jonjo Shelvey explains pre-season issue at Newcastle United

Shelvey made his first warm-up appearance off the bench in Tuesday’s behind-closed-doors friendly against Burnley.

The midfielder – who got 30 minutes under his belt in Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat at Turf Moor – had missed the club’s previous four friendlies with a calf injury sustained while running at the club’s training ground this summer.

“I always seem to run more during the off-season to try and come back in the best shape possible, and I was running at the training ground on the astro turf, and my calf popped and I ripped a tendon in my calf,” Shelvey told NUFC TV.

“It’s been frustrating. I’ve missed most of pre-season, but it’s good to be back now.”

Head coach Steve Bruce said: “It’ll be decent for Jonjo. He’s had a really tough time with it, you know, getting injured before we even started. It was cruel for him, he has to make it up somewhere. So he’s on the way to recovery.”

Shelvey – who signed a new contract at United last year – is set for more minutes in Saturday’s home friendly against Norwich City.

Asked whether he would be fit enough to start the Premier League season, Shelvey said: “That’s not down to me – that’s down to the manager.

"I’ve got to train my hardest – and show I’m ready. A lot depends on Saturday’s game. Hopefully, I can get some minutes there to get into his thinking for the first game of the season.”