Jonjo Shelvey reveals the first thing Steve Bruce told him at Newcastle United

Bruce took over as head coach last summer following the departure of Rafa Benitez.

The 59-year-old linked up with the squad in China, where they were taking part in the Premier League Asia Trophy.

And Shelvey – who signed a new deal at the club in March – says the players “bought into” what he wanted to do at Newcastle.

"I've got a lot to thank Steve for – he’s been superb for me," said Shelvey. “He's come in and just asked for one thing, and that's hard work. On the first day with him on tour in China, he was just spot on. He said 'as long as you work hard, that’ll be enough for me'. I think everyone’s bought into that."

Newcastle were 13th in the Premier League when football was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We've changed formations a lot and tried different things," Shelvey told Sky Sports.

"Your role’s constantly changing within that. But I just feel that as you get older, you learn the game, the positional sense and that side of it. Also, one thing Steve’s big on is fitness. We do a lot of running during the week. The fitter you are, the more you can get from box to box.

"That's obviously helped, and it also helps that Steve has been there and done it as a player. You just try to pick things up from him."

Shelvey was troubled by a niggling calf season last season.

"It was a tough season, last season," said the 28-year-old. "I had a very bad injury that kept reoccurring. We couldn't get to the bottom of the problem, but eventually we found out what it was, and managed to keep it under control.

"Obviously, I didn't know what was going on at the club at the start of the summer. But I went away and got myself proper fit. Even if it had been Rafa coming back, I was just going to try my best in pre-season.

“But it turned out to be Steve, and he's been superb for me."