10 Newcastle Players Who Could Be Revitalised By Steve McClaren

6. Gabriel Obertan

For a brief four-game spell last November, Obertan began to look like he could turn into the explosive and pacey player many suspected he would become when Manchester United signed him as a youngster. However, injury curtailed any progress last season and, once he returned in February, Obertan was back to being his old self - scared to run at opposing defenders and struggling to impose himself on any game in a meaningful way. The arrival of Steve Black in particular could be crucial for Obertan because, perhaps more than anyone else in the Magpies squad, the Frenchman is very much a confidence player. Black is renowned for his ability to help players with the psychological side of the game - something former Magpie Joey Barton and rugby World Cup-winning fly-half Jonny Wilkinson would both pay testament to - and he could aid Obertan immeasurably in this area. If Black can sort out Obertan's head then a player with his pace could become a real asset for Newcastle United - and Steve McClaren may well even pull out Alan Pardew's oft-used phrase to describe the Frenchman and label him as "being like a new signing"...