Jamal Lewis says he is prepared to be thrown in at the "deep end" tonight against West Ham United.
The Northern Ireland international left-back is in contention to make his debut against the Hammers after a whirlwind £15million move from Norwich City.
The 22-year-old has had a week of training under his belt on Tyneside and is desperate to start his Toon career with that all-important win over David Moyes and Co.
Lewis told Chronicle Live: "I am healthy and fit and looking forward to it.
"I'll look to help the team in any way I can.
"Sometimes getting thrown in the deep end - which can be scary - can be the best thing.
"I am looking forward to making my debut and hopefully getting off to a winning start."
United avoided one of the top five in their opening day fixture, but Lewis is full of respect for the London Stadium outfit.
Lewis said: "West Ham are a big club as well. They struggled last season but are looking to bounce back.
"It'll be a great test for us but one we're looking to come out of on top.
"It's a great stadium and a great fixture to kick off."
Only a week ago Lewis was recovering from international duty after playing the full 90 minutes in Northern Ireland's UEFA Nations League draw away to Romania.
United's interest was quickly firmed up after a leak at the Norwich end.
Lewis said: "I think my agent knew early in the international break.
"Then I saw that Norwich had accepted a bid so that is the biggest barrier. Then we got things sorted it out and agreed on a day to come."
