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Achraf Lazaar puts his hand on his heart and then vows to give nothing but 100% for Newcastle United.

We’re sat at the club’s Benton training centre with the Morocco international keen to get his message out and tell the world he’s ready to show what he can do in a black and white shirt.

Lazaar is the type of bubbly character that football managers love to have around the dressing room.

It may be his first big interview with the media since arriving from Palermo after three years in the Italian game, but Lazaar seems to fit in perfectly at Newcastle.

After years of having too many sulky characters around at United this now feels like a club that finally has players that genuinely want to be here. When Lazaar arrived at Newcastle he wasn’t rushed into the first team as Rafa Benitez cannily afforded him time to get used to his new surroundings.

He is ready to join an already healthy battle for first team places and hopes to light up the left-hand side of the pitch for the Magpies in the weeks and months ahead.

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After being asked his best position, Lazaar told the Chronicle: “In my career, I have played everywhere. I have played on the left, either as a left-back or a wing-back or a winger.

“At Palermo, there were other left-backs but I will play anywhere I am asked, even striker! I could play high on the left in a 3-5-2 or as a normal left-back in a back four.

“If we play 4-4-2 I can also play well as a left midfielder. The left side of the pitch has my name on it!”

And when explaining why he has only played 96 minutes for Newcastle so far, Lazaar said: “I have not played but I am ready to move forward.

“The real answer to this question is not difficult. The manager has looked at all players and wants them in top condition.

“You have to adapt first and then stay in good condition. For me, I came into a new country, with a new language and a new lifestyle.

“Football is not different, it is the same game in every country but I had to adapt to the life around me.”

But while Lazaar accepts that the fundamentals of football remain the same, he feels he has to get prepared for the different challenges ahead.

(Image: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

When Davide Santon arrived from Inter Milan in 2011 the left-back often stayed on the ground after a foul in the hope of getting a free-kick. This caused problems when refs waved play on leaving Newcastle short-handed on counter attacks.

Lazaar already has a taste of what he’s up against, and with a manager like Benitez - who knows the difference between football in Italy and England well - he already has a grasp of his new challenge.

Lazaar said: “The football here is very quick and you don’t have Tiki-taka football. Instead it is hard and aggressive.

“In Italy the referee has his work cut out with cards, here it is simply: ‘Let’s play and get on with it’. The conditions are different and it is more physical.

“We use the gym a lot more. I like it here and I have adapted. I came here to enjoy the experience and for now I work hard to get to that next level.

“This manager has told me to come and play on the left side and get into position for the team.”