Magpies ace Lovenkrands is ready for action
Aug 6 2010 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal
HAVING spent most of the last pre-season training alone, Peter Løvenkrands is feeling the benefit of preparing properly for the new campaign.
The problems of missing pre-season were highlighted yesterday when Sol Campbell ruled himself out of Newcastle United’s opening Premier League game at Manchester United.
While most professionals were beginning their preparations for 2010-11, the former England centre-back was getting married, then on honeymoon.
Løvenkrands kicked off the last pre-season a free agent having been released by Newcastle in the summer of 2009.
He spent much of that time working on his own at Murray Park, training complex of his former club Rangers.
The Magpies re-signed Løvenkrands on September 1, but it took until late November for the Dane to score the first of 16 goals last season.
He has featured in all four Newcastle matches in this pre-season and will be hugely disappointed not to play in its last at Rangers tomorrow.
He said: “I am feeling really good about how pre-season has gone.
“It has been a while since I have had a proper pre-season, so I am really happy I have been able to join in with the whole of pre-season. It means a lot to me and I can feel it on the pitch.
“The main thing is to stay fit and hopefully get through the whole of pre-season. It has been going well.
“You want to play as much as possible, so I am going to try and keep myself fit and play as much as I can – but goals-wise I don’t want to put a target on it because I don’t want to jinx myself.
“I am just looking for as many as I can get.” The 30-year-old made 182 of his 232 career appearances for Rangers.
