Remi's road to recovery ahead of Burnley battle

The 20-year-old centre-back, who arrived at the Magpies' Academy from boyhood club Liverpool last summer, started 15 of Newcastle's 16 competitive fixtures at second-string level before sustaining a meniscus injury (tearing of the knee) against Southampton in November.

After a lengthy and difficult injury spell, Savage expressed his delight in appearing as a second-half substitute during United's Premier League 2 clash against Middlesbrough last week.

"It was an unbelievable feeling to put the shirt back on!" Savage told nufc.co.uk. "It's been a long five months with my first long-term injury. It was a long journey but made a lot easier by the physios, staff and players who were all behind me, which gave me that motivation to return and work that little bit harder.

"At first, it was a shock as it'd never happened before, long-term. Mentally, I was fine because I had a lot of support. I could go and speak to anyone at the club, with all the support I needed, as well as my family and friends who were checking up on me and making sure everything was okay.

"Having five months out, you get to think about a lot of things and evaluate stuff. It makes you want it that extra bit more. Knowing you cannot play, it makes you really eager to get back and once you are back, you need to keep that mentality and keep shining everyday, giving your best 100 per cent. 

"The next couple of games are huge towards the end of the season. We're pushing for the play-offs and we have a (Northumberland Senior) cup final which we want to win. We need to stick together as a team and a whole and I'm sure we can achieve what we want to do."

Newcastle's youngsters take on their Burnley counterparts at the Lancashire FA County Ground on Friday evening (kick-off 7pm BST), aiming to move into fourth place of the Premier League 2 with a victory against the Clarets' second-string.

After conceding 18 goals in their last six league matches, Savage is determined to help his side strengthen up in the backline as they aim to secure qualification for the Division Two play-off spots.

"We've had a catchup and reviewed the Middlesbrough game," the young defender added. "It wasn't the result we wanted (a 4-2 defeat at the Riverside Stadium) but we have a chance to bounce back in the league as we are playing games so close together. 

"We're really eager to go to Burnley and get the three points to push for the play-off spots, which is what everyone wants.

"The last time we played them, it was a tough game. We know what to expect and we're working on how we can prevent their style of play and how we can use that to our advantage.

"If we can cut out goals we've conceded recently, which are preventable, the games are there for us to win. That's something we're working hard on the training ground to improve."