Georginio Wijnaldum "Cannot Wait" To Don A Newcastle Shirt At St James' Park

Georginio Wijnaldum admits he is "waiting" in anticipation to make his St James' Park bow - and that he is milking being the Newcastle United "new boy". The £14.5 million signing from PSV Eindhoven played 20 minutes on Saturday night in the 1-0 victory over Sacramento Republic as he made his debut in a Magpies shirt off the bench in California. And being the "new boy" is something Wijnaldum wants to get the most out of because "you can only enjoy it once" - although he has admitted he is struggling to remember all of his new teammates' names.

Speaking to The Chronicle after making his Magpies debut at Bonney Field, Wijnaldum revealed his excitement ahead of his St James' Park debut in a couple of weeks, which could come in the pre-season friendly against Borussia Monchengladbach on August 1st. The 24-year-old Dutchman said:

"It€™s something I like (being inundated with Tweets and messages from adoring Toon fans). The fans are really true fans here - they love the club. "People have already told me that Newcastle is a club that have fantastic fans and we will see it when we play home games at St James' Park. "I am waiting for that."

Unfortunately for Wijnaldum he was only able to play 20 minutes in a side that had already been reduced to 10 men following Massadio Haidara's dismissal on Saturday, although he did manage to test the Republic goalkeeper with a drive from the edge of the box. Despite this, the attacking-midfielder has loved meeting up with the Magpies squad for the first time - even if he is struggling to remember every single name. He continued:

"These are beautiful times for me and I enjoy them right now. "You can only enjoy it once because you will only be the new boy once. "The trainer (Steve McClaren) and the players have helped me a lot to feel comfortable in the team and to do my thing."

Wijnaldum could make his full Newcastle debut against Portland Timbers on Tuesday night (US time)/Wednesday morning (UK time) at Providence Park. Interestingly, Wijnaldum also took part in the traditional Newcastle United initiation process of singing in front of his new teammates - but to disastrous effect. He told nufc.co.uk:

"At the national team, when you are new you must stand up and speak for a minute, but I have never had to sing before. "I chose 'Who the Cap Fit' by Bob Marley, but it was not good! "I didn't get to finish it because everyone threw their napkins at me and booed - singing is definitely not my talent. "My teammates have helped me to feel at home. They are like a family already - they speak with me, they hang out with me and make jokes with me, so I feel at home in this club already."

CLICK HERE to read "16 Things Newcastle Fans Need To Know About Georginio Wijnaldum".For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.