Report: Newcastle's £10m player has actually won money because he's been so good in training under Howe

By Sam Preston

Newcastle have been short on striking firepower for much of the reign of Eddie Howe but that has still not seen them turn to Dwight Gayle.

The Englishman has not made a Premier League start this season, and has been forced to settle for seven substitute appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

His only start this season came in the EFL Cup exit at the hands of Burnley, when a Magpies side managed by Steve Bruce was eliminated at home on penalties.

But the Athletic have reported that Howe has kept Gayle on side in training and the striker has responded with some impressive performances.

They say that Howe has introduced rewards for strong trainers, rather than forfeits for those who do not perform to their maximum.

Their report reads: “Previously, players were given forfeits for training poorly, such as bringing in chocolate for their team-mates.

“Howe has flipped it so ‘success is recognised rather than failure punished’. Dwight Gayle, yet to start under Howe, is among those to receive a prize from the fine kitty for winning the most training sessions in a month.

“The head coach has kept those who are not featuring onside. ‘Even when you’re not playing, you don’t lose interest, as maybe you could have done before,’ Sean Longstaff says. ‘We’re all willing to run through brick walls for him.‘”

This snippet about Gayle speaks to the way that Howe has got everyone pulling in the same direction, whether they are in the side or not.

Gayle looks set to leave Newcastle in the summer, and could be headed for the Championship, where he has previously torn up trees.

But he probably deserved more chances in the top flight, with Newcastle reliant on Chris Wood in the absence of Callum Wilson.

That is especially the case if he was training well and putting the effort in but the £10 million (Guardian) man has had to be patient and is almost certain to be a casualty of the squad revolution Howe oversees in his first summer at the club.