Lloyd Kelly has joked he ‘stitched’ himself up after he delivered a rendition of Adele to his Newcastle teammates.
The defender was reunited with his ex-Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe at St James’ Park after arriving on a free transfer.
talkSPORT understands that the 25-year-old shunned interest from Juventus and several other European sides in order to join the Magpies.
But he will be hoping for better luck on the pitch as opposed to off it as he revealed his customary initiation song could have been better.
Speaking to talkSPORT about his performance, he joked: “It was all right, I give myself about a five/six out of ten.
“I just got it out of the way. [I sang] Adele – Someone Like You – I stitched myself up.”
Kelly then backed himself to play a key role this season as he commented on the battle for a starting spot alongside Sven Botman, Fabian Schar and skipper Jamaal Lascelles.
He remarked: “The competition for places is so high, of course when you come into a club like this who’s heading in one direction, every place is up for grabs.
“You’ve got to be at your best at every moment, training, in games, of course I back myself [to start].
“I want to do well at this football club, I want to impress, and I want to show what I can do.
“Of course it’s going to be tough for all the defenders, everyone in the squad knows it’s going to be a tough season, so I’m just looking forward to the challenge.”
And Kelly has certainly made a huge impression with the club’s supporters, with fans lauding his abilities over pre-season.
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One moment in particular in the recent 1-0 win over French side Brest had fans purring, where he set up Harvey Barnes’ winner with an expert lofted through ball.
Footage of the pass quickly went viral, with one X user commenting: “Lloyd Kelly. That is a joke. Wow.”
Another messaged: “Hope to see more of this in the coming season!”
A third added: “Well that was naughty.”
This fan then said: “Lloyd Kelly got a left foot like a Bugatti.”
Meanwhile another simply stated: “What a ball that is.”
Kelly could make his official Newcastle debut against Southampton on Saturday – live on talkSPORT 2.