Callum Wilson has 'a game in mind' to return to action for Newcastle United after starting the next phase of his rehabilitation at the club's training ground.
Wilson picked up a hamstring injury in the Magpies' 3-2 win against Southampton last month and was ruled out for between six and eight weeks.
Steve Bruce has been keen to 'box clever' with Wilson, given how the explosive striker could break down again if he is rushed back too quickly, but the 29-year-old has been doing everything he can to return as quickly as possible to help his side in their relegation fight.
Wilson was doing intense triple sessions during a month-long rehabilitation camp down in Bournemouth and has now returned to the club's Benton base to do some individual work with the club's fitness coaches out on the grass.
The sight of Wilson kicking the ball into the back of an empty net will give staff, players and supporters alike a huge boost and the upcoming two-week international break may just come at the right time to aid the goalscorer's recovery.
"For me, I always set targets in my mind so I have got a game in mind where I'm aiming to get back for and that's my motivation throughout my rehab," Wilson told NUFC TV.
"You have to have something to set your mind on, a target, and obviously I won't reveal that because we're all working and making sure that it's all controlled and everything is going well but it's going to be nice once I get back.
"No one likes being injured. Especially now the sun's out, you're looking from the gym outside to the lads going out training and things like that. It's a little bit frustrating but all you can be is positive and sooner or later I'll be amongst it as well.
"It's going well and I just can't wait to be honest. It's exciting times and I'm looking forward to the end of the season, to the run-in, to start fighting amongst the other lads."
Wilson has been directly involved in 54% of Newcastle's league goals this season and the Magpies have yet to win a top-flight fixture without their top scorer in 2020-21.
Newcastle currently lie just a point clear of the relegation zone, following a run of two wins in their last 17 top-flight games, and Wilson was kicking every ball as he watched the black-and-whites' 1-1 draw against Aston Villa in a corporate box at St James' Park on Friday night.
"It's been difficult because I'm a player, I'm a fan," he added. "I get emotional just like everyone else does. I think I was in the stadium the other night shouting away. I was probably the only fan in there that people could hear to be honest!
"But, for me, it's been difficult, it's been frustrating, with the results and things like that but we're together as a team.
"Whether you're fit, whether you're playing, whether you're injured, everyone stands side by side and we win together and lose together so when I'm around the place, all I can do is be positive for the boys and make sure they're upbeat and feeling nice and confident and make them feel 10 feet tall.
"That's the key really going into the end of the season. Everyone's needed - it's not just the first XI. It's going to be the whole squad that takes part and everyone pulls in the right direction."
