Callum Wilson says he absolutely loves playing with 25-year-old Newcastle teammate

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Callum Wilson has heaped praise on Newcastle United new-boy Harvey Barnes and suggested the duo have already built a strong ‘connection’ on the pitch.

Wilson has been speaking on the Football Daily podcast and was asked about him linking up with Barnes on Saturday evening.

Newcastle thrashed Aston Villa 5-1 at St James’ Park over the weekend and delivered an emphatic performance.

Sandro Tonali bagged the opener on his debut for the club and there was another debut goal for Harvey Barnes in stoppage time.

The former Leicester City man came off the bench to make a huge impact on the game as he set up Callum Wilson before getting on the scoresheet himself.

And Wilson has admitted that the duo have already struck up a strong partnership during pre-season.

Wilson on Barnes

Speaking on the Football Daily podcast, Wilson was asked if something has already ‘clicked’ between him and Barnes. 

“He’s from the Midlands, so that’s maybe why,” he joked. “He’s a great player and wants to learn.

“He’s like a sponge and having someone like that around you, putting in crosses early like he does. In pre-season, we played a few games together and started building up a connection.

“It happened on the weekend and I probably should have got him another assist as well, unfortunately, I didn’t. But that’s football and I’m sure we’ll get much more playing time together.”

Both Wilson and Barnes missed out on the starting line-up on Saturday, but the duo came off the bench to make a huge impact and extend Newcastle’s lead.

Barnes impressed at Leicester last season as he bagged 10 goals in the Premier League.

Eddie Howe will undoubtedly be encouraged to see the 25-year-old get off the mark so quickly and the Magpies have increased strength in depth this season.

It will be intriguing to see how the partnership of Wilson and Barnes develops over the course of the campaign, especially as the summer signing forged a brilliant relationship with Jamie Vardy at Leicester.