Ryan Fraser dismisses what 'everybody thought' about his Newcastle United move

Fraser joined Newcastle United as a free agent in the summer after leaving Bournemouth following the expiry of his contract.

And the winger – who came off the bench and set up Callum Wilson’s winner against Everton last weekend – is pushing for start in Friday night’s game against Southampton at the St Mary’s Stadium.

Aberdeen-born Fraser pledged, first and foremost, to work for the team after arriving on Tyneside, and the 26-year-old says his work ethic comes from being an Abderdonian.

"There's a way of living in Aberdeen, where you need to work hard to succeed,” said Fraser. "I love Aberdeen, and I was there from a young age. I moved to Oman in the Middle East, but I moved back to Aberdeen again and loved it.

"Moving (away from Aberdeen) at 17 was hard. Now if we get a couple of days off, I'd love to go back home to Aberdeen and see the family."

While Fraser – who spent seven years on the South Coast – is happy to be closer to his family, that wasn’t a deciding factor in his move to Tyneside, where he linked up with former Bournemouth team-mates Wilson and Matt Ritchie.

"Everybody says 'it's colder up here' – and I'm like 'try Aberdeen’,” said Fraser, who won plaudits for his performances for Scotland during the recent international break.

“Everybody thought it was a big factor for me to move closer to Scotland, but Newcastle could have been a 20-hour plane journey away, and I'd still have joined here.

"It just makes it nice that my mum and dad and family are three hours away. It's a benefit, but not the overall factor why I moved here."

Fraser – who has signed a five-year deal at Newcastle – wants to make his own history at the club.

“I want those who come in after me to say 'Ryan Fraser wore No.21 – now I want it',” said Fraser. “I want that history and want to make it myself.

"As a team, we want to be looking back and saying 'remember the seasons where we got the club back to where they want to be?'.”