Revealed! What Newcastle United co-owner told Dubai special guest about ‘ambitious’ future plans

Decorated Paralympian Stephen Miller has praised Newcastle United co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi after visiting Eddie Howe and his team on a training camp in Dubai.

Miller is from Cramlington, has three Paralympic gold medals to his name and happened to be training in Dubai at the same time as his childhood club.

The 41-year-old told NewcastleWorld he reached out to the club to see if he could come and catch some training and received a positive reply.

One of the highlights of the visit for Miller was meeting Ghodoussi, who has won fans over since taking over the club last year.

The businessman has become an ever-present face around the club and frequently interacts with fans online and in-person.

Miller said: "Mehrdad is very approachable and open.

"We talked for some time. He has big ambitions for the club but knows it will take time."

The athlete, who primarily competes in the Club Throw competition, added that the training sessions seemed "relaxed and friendly".

He added: "All the players looked in great shape. They were working hard in hot conditions.

"Joelinton looked particularly impressive."

Whilst spending time with Howe's squad, Miller also had the chance to chat with the players and share some of his own triumphs over the years.

The athlete has won Paralympic gold medals in the Club Throw at Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.

He also competed at Rio 2016 but narrowly missed out on a place for Tokyo 2020.

Asked what advice he would give to Newcastle players managing rapidly rising expectations, he said: "Just to focus on themselves and on being the best they can be each day.

"Enjoy what they do and be grateful to be part of positive moments at the club."

Miller is a big United fan, recently spotted cheering away at Elland Road in January.

"I don't think I've experienced an atmosphere like that before," he recalled.

Speaking on meeting Miller in Dubai, Eddie Howe said: "It was the first time I'd met him, but I'd heard a lot about him.

"We reintroduced him to the group - because I know a lot of the players have met him before - and we had a little chat about his background.

"It was a really nice moment. We try to embrace all of our supporters around the world and it was an opportunity for him to come and watch us train and see what we do.

"We want to do that more in the future, now that Covid restrictions are lifting, where we integrate ourselves to our supporters, and vice-versa, and really build that team spirit from a wider base."