Who is Stephen Miller? The Paralympian spending time with Newcastle United in Dubai

Newcastle United are making the most of the international break with a training camp in Dubai and have been joined by Paralympian Stephen Miller.

The three-time Paralympic gold medallist is from the North East but has been spending time in Dubai training and competing.

Miller swung by one of Eddie Howe's training sessions earlier this week to share his stories and pose for photos with the team.

The 41-year-old is from Cramlington and has Cerebral Palsy.

Miller competes mainly in the Club Throw, which is equivalent to the Javelin for his disability. He has also competed in discus and shotput over the years.

The athlete 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.

Over the years, Miller has worked part-time as a web developer at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead and founded SMILE Through Sport in 2013 alongside his wife.

He's also a big Newcastle United fan, frequently involved with the club and recently shared a video of himself celebrating at Elland Road when Newcastle won in January.

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."

The athlete also met new Newcastle United owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi.

Replying to a photo shared by Miller on Twitter, Ghodoussi wrote: "Good to meet you Stephen.

"So impressed to see your medals, you’re an incredible athlete."

Newcastle United aren't in action again until Sunday, April 3 when they travel to London to take on Antonio Conte's in-form Tottenham Hotspur side.

A win could move Newcastle to within two points of the top 10, whilst Spurs will be hoping for three points to boost their European bid.

In the meantime, Howe is leading training in Dubai with the squad members not called up on international duty.

The training includes both physical preparation and team-building activities, which Callum Wilson expanded on during a similar trip back in January.