Alan Shearer made sure that Newcastle United's new signings 'learned the hard way' about the high standards at the club during his playing days, according to former team-mate Sylvain Distin.
The Frenchman spent a season on loan at St James' Park and was part of the squad which finished in fourth place in the Premier League under Sir Bobby Robson in 2002.
Distin enjoyed a 15-year spell in the top-flight - going on to play for Man City, Portsmouth, Everton and Bournemouth - and the former defender learnt a lot from his brief spell on Tyneside following his loan move from Paris Saint-Germain.
For example, when Distin first joined Newcastle, the centre-back quickly realised that if new arrivals did not give their best in training every day, they would be on the receiving end of some heavy tackles from the club's senior players.
Distin never forgot that and the 42-year-old chose Shearer when he was asked which player left his mark on him during his career.
"He didn't mean to but he was making sure that the players who arrived learned the hard way and possibly the ones who were not strong enough were pushed to the side, but that was his way to make sure that everyone just went in the same direction," Distin told Stadium Astro.
"When I arrived, he had big charisma and was a real man, you know, and I remember a few years ago I was collecting his stickers and then I ended up playing alongside him!
"I was a bit starstruck and his charisma and his attitude during training as well, for me, were a massive inspiration."
