Spanish trip is Ay OK, says striker Perez
AYOZE Perez has described Newcastle United’s trip to Spain as a “great idea” – even if he admits the Magpies would prefer to have a Premier League game this weekend.
Rafa Benitez and his squad flew out to Alicante yesterday for a four-day training camp, which will be followed by an unusuallystructured friendly against Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp on Sunday during which the Magpies will play three 45-minute ‘thirds.’
After their morale-boosting 3-0 victory over Southampton at St James’ Park last weekend, Perez acknowledges United would have liked to have carried that momentum into another Premier League fixture.
Instead, following the postponement of tonight’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, United face a 21-day gap until they host Huddersfield Town on Tyneside on March 31 due to the two-week international break which begins on Monday.
Perez, though, is excited by the prospect of working with his teammates in Spain during a significant training block before playing in a semi-competitive fixture on Sunday at the Pinatar Arena near Murcia.
He said: “It would be better for us to have a Premier League game before the international break, when you can rest a little bit.
“We have 21 days without footballand this training camp in Spain is a great idea.
“We are going to play a game which will keep us fit.
“We have to adapt and think about doing great training sessions and being ready for another big game against Huddersfield.”
Newcastle’s win over relegation rivals Saints saw the Magpies move up to 13th place in the table, a full five points clear of the drop zone.
Perez was excellent against Southampton and set up United’s second goal by advancing 50 yards from the edge of his own box before laying the ball off for Dwight Gayle to square for Kenedy to tap into an empty net.
The Spaniard believes t the three points Newcastle collected just before the three-week break could prove crucial in the final relegation mix.
He added: “It was a massive result.
“We knew winning would mean three important points and one step closer to safety and we did it.”