Keegan wants to get physical

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

"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<2 Keegan said. "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 (football) 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.

"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."