Newcastle United Winger Christian Atsu is charged up for the new English Premier League season and wants his team to build on their good form in pre-season as the English Premier League gets underway this weekend.

The Magpies beat Italian side Hellas Verona 2-0 in their last preparatory game on Sunday to make it two wins in a row following an earlier 3-1 triumph over Wolfsburg.

Newcastle, who return to the top flight after a year of absence, host Tottenham Hotspur for a showdown at St. James' Park on Sunday.

“They [Hellas Verona] were a very good team," Atsu, who scored in the game to take his pre-season goal tally to two, told his club's official website.

"Italian clubs are very difficult to beat, so we’re very happy that we created a lot of chances and also won the game.

“We were compact, we understand each other and we broke their defence up and managed to score two goals.

"We created a lot of chances and kept a clean sheet, so we’re happy with that.

“To win a game, we have to create those chances – if we don’t create them, we won’t win.

"That’s a positive thing for the whole team, so now we have to keep working and build on that.”

Newcastle won the English Championship last season to seal their return to the elite division, with Atsu scoring five times in 32 appearances.