Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan is determined his side will be among the fittest in
the Barclays Premier League this season.

The 57-year-old saw his team beat League One Hartlepool 4-1 at Victoria Park
yesterday after 12 days' training, and was impressed with what he saw.

Keegan said: 'When we came back, we said we can be fitter and we can be
stronger.

Keegan will take his side to home-town club Doncaster next weekend

'We might not have the biggest squad this season and we might not have the
best squad in the Premier League because there are some big clubs out there with
big squads and a lot of quality players.

'But we can be the fittest team, and that is what we have tried to do. That is
why we have never left the training ground.'

Keegan will take his side to home-town club Doncaster next weekend as they step
up their preparations with executive director Dennis Wise and his team still searching
for new recruits.

The manager admits he will need up to four more signings on top of Jonas
Gutierrez and Danny Guthrie - the former Liverpool midfielder made his debut and
scored at Hartlepool - before the end of the transfer window.

However, he effectively has one on board already after Republic of Ireland
winger Damien Duff turned in an eye-catching display against Danny Wilson's
side.

The 29-year-old, clearly feeling the benefit of a rare injury-free pre-season,
was in sparkling form and was rewarded with a well-taken hat-trick.

Asked if Duff is the fittest he has been since his £5million move to Tyneside
from Blackburn, Keegan said: 'There's absolutely no doubt of that. The lad has
never had a pre-season for three years.

'He is at the weight he was when he was 18 and he has worked so hard in
training, the running and the way he has worked with everything we have put on
probably showed out there on Saturday.

Duff scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 win at Hartlepool

'After 70, 80 minutes, he still looked like he had got a turbo-charger in him,
as did James Milner and a couple of the others.

'You have just got a draw a line under where he has been and just judge him
from now, now he has had a chance to put a foundation into his season, which he
hasn't had for three years.

'Any players who misses the pre-season, you ask any player, no matter how good
they are, where they have played and what qualities they possess, it is very
hard without that base.

'I think you will see a different Damien Duff this season. There were signs of
that on Saturday, but obviously, there is more to come.'

Duff, like Shay Given, Charles N'Zogbia and Obafemi Martins, who also started
at Hartlepool, has been linked with a move away from St James' Park this summer,
but Keegan is determined to retain his services.

He said: 'There has been speculation about every one of our players, but I
definitely want to keep him.

'He is a good character around the place, he sets a good standard in training
along with three or four of the other players.

'They set the standards, they are the ones who do it right every day. Rain or
sunshine, it doesn't make any difference to them.

'We are very strong now in certain positions. Where Damien plays is where
Gutierrez can play, where James Milner can play, where Charles N'Zogbia can play
and where Geremi can play.

'We have got five very good players competing for two-and-a-half places in the
team.

'We haven't got that everywhere, so we need to address that and that is what
we are trying to do.

'It might look like not so successfully at the moment, but there is a long
time to go and there will be plenty of opportunities.

'If the right player comes along and we think he is right for Newcastle
United, we will be in there pitching.'