VALENTINO Yuel is looking forward to the challenge of establishing himself in the Newcastle Jets' new-look squad ... all over again.
Yuel arrived in Newcastle from Western United at the start of last season with just nine A-League games under his belt.
The fleet-footed attacker proceeded to play in 24 of the Jets' 26 games, scoring four goals, to earn himself a two-year contract extension.
But with a new coach in Arthur Pappas and a host of new teammates - including overseas imports Beka Mikeltadze (Georgia), Savvas Siatravanis (Greece) and Daniel Penha (Brazil) - Yuel has no doubt the competition for selection will be far stiffer in the season ahead.
"For sure," he said. "It's going to demand a very high standard from every single player, especially across the front third, with a lot of quality players coming in. So that means I have to be a lot better than I was last year, to get a starting position ... having that competition breeds improvement."
Mainly used as a striker last season alongside Irish veteran Roy O'Donovan, Yuel is preparing himself for a new role out wide.
"I prefer it on the wing," he said.
"I feel like there's a lot more freedom ... it's a lot more exciting for me. Instead of having my back towards goal, I can run towards goal and look to increase my number of assists."
The 26-year-old also intends to find the net more regularly.
"I definitely want to score more goals, and be a lot more consistent," he said.
"I want to be more effective in the front third. I felt I had a lot of chances last year where I think I could have done better personally."
Newcastle's players have been in full training for the past two months but COVID-19 restrictions means they have no idea when the A-League will kick off, or when they will even be cleared to play in trial games.
Yuel said there were "two different ways" to look at the delay.
"Obviously you can get frustrated because you feel ready," he said.
"We've been going at it for two months straight and you want to start as soon as possible.
"At the same time, with players coming in, getting out of quarantine after 14 days in a hotel, it gives the players a chance to get on their feet, start running and adjust to the system and build chemistry."
