Ayoze Perez has demanded focus from his Newcastle side ahead of what he admits is likely to be a difficult season.

The Magpies won the Championship last term but have not experienced the influx of fresh talent both the fans and coach Rafa Benitez were expecting following their promotion.

Perez is one of the players that stayed put following their relegation from the top flight in 2015-16 and knows just how tough the Premier League can be.

Newcastle begin their campaign on Sunday at home to Tottenham, a side that they beat 5-1 on the final day of the season they went down.

After a relatively quiet summer at St James' Park, the 24-year-old has called on his team-mates to ensure they are fully prepared for what he expects to be an extremely difficult campaign.

The Spanish forward said: "The real competition starts now and we know the importance of that. We have to have a balance about our feeling.

"Mentally we have to be ready and focused because it's not going to be an easy season, it's going to be really tough and we have to make sure we do the right things as we have been. It's going to be tough, we must work very hard and then the results will come."

He added: "We must work as hard as we can because it's going to be tough and if we think we are better than other teams it won't be an easy season."