Steve McClaren has told his Newcastle players he expects them to finish in the Premier League’s top eight this season, pointing to the club record signing of the Holland international Georginio Wijnaldum as a “real statement of intent”.

Considering John Carver’s former team dallied with relegation last spring, achieving such a target represents a challenge for the new manager, but McClaren has been delighted to hear Mike Ashley, Newcastle’s owner, reiterate the club’s newfound ambition.

Fabian Delph rules out Manchester City move and commits to Aston Villa Read more

“The remit here is very, very clear,” said the former England coach. “But it’s much better to be sitting down with the players saying we’ve got to win something and get in that top eight than saying: ‘We’ve got to stay in this league’.”

The process of creating what McClaren hopes will prove a winning culture involves raising off-field standards. Most notably, swearing is now banned at Newcastle, while two players have already been sent home after turning up for training five minutes late.

McClaren has kept his family home an hour’s drive down the A19 in the Teesside area since swapping Middlesbrough for England nine years ago. “Living in the area I’ve followed what’s going on at Newcastle,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to work at this club. Driving in to work here for the first time was amazing – it’s a huge club and the stadium is fantastic.”

Promises from Newcastle’s board to invest in several £10m-plus players left McClaren in buoyant mood as he headed to the United States for a pre-season tour.

Wijnaldum, 24, became the club’s third most expensive signing – behind Michael Owen and Alan Shearer – after joining for £14.4m from PSV Eindhoven. “It’s a real statement for the club,” said McClaren. “It is a big transfer for a very good player and I am delighted. He’s at the right age and he’s the right fit.”

But McClaren has also been pleasantly surprised by the current dressing room. “Newcastle’s in good shape,” he said. “Most places you come in and you’ve got a lot of work to do but, internally, this is better than I thought it might be. We’ve got a good squad, some good young players. Sometimes you come in and you’ve got four or five 30-year-olds you’ve got to get out but not here. If you’ve seen the plans here and what’s ahead – what the squad will be like in a year and three windows on – it’s a good situation.”

Even so, some important questions will have to be addressed. Foremost among them is the identity of McClaren’s captain, amid speculation that Fabricio Coloccini may not keep the armband. “There’s no decision yet,” he said.

He was a little more forthcoming on Papiss Cissé, a striker widely expected to depart Tyneside this summer. “He got 11 goals in 22 games last year, 11 goals in 11 starts and 11 substitute appearances,” said McClaren. “So I think we’ve all got to thank Papiss and his goals for Newcastle still being in the Premier League. Papiss is infectious around the place, smiling every day. He’s here – and that’s it at the moment.”