FLORIAN THAUVIN is hoping to make his Newcastle United debut at Old Trafford tomorrow despite only having completed his £12m move from Marseille on Wednesday evening.

Thauvin took part in his first training session with his new team-mates this morning, but is expected to be part of the Magpies squad that will take on Manchester United in tomorrow’s lunch-time kick-off.

The 22-year-old should be relatively match fit after starting Marseille’s opening two games of the Ligue 1 season, and while it would be a risk for Steve McClaren to pitch him straight into the starting line-up, there is every chance of him making his first Newcastle appearance from the substitutes’ bench at some stage of tomorrow’s game.

 “I’m very happy to be here at Newcastle, and I’m surprised in a very good way to see such a well-organised club here,” said Thauvin, whose transfer involved the departure of Remy Cabella in the opposite direction.

“I had my first training session with the team today and it went really, really well. I’m fit and available, and if the manager chooses to select me, I can’t wait to make my debut at Old Trafford.

“When I arrived, the manager and I had a long chat. He asked me to be an important player for the team. He wants me to get goals, and he wants me to supply goals too. But he also wants me to fulfil my defensive duties as well.”

Thauvin has become the latest in a long line of French players to have moved to Newcastle in recent years, and while some, such as Yohan Cabaye and Mathieu Debuchy, have proved a huge success, others, such and Cabella and Hatem Ben Arfa have struggled to adapt to the tempo and physicality of the English league.

“The Premier League is well known for being a very physical league,” said Thauvin. “It’s a bit different to France. It’s not something that concerns me, although maybe I’ll have to take a bit of time to get used to it. Once I do, I’ll be fine.”

Thauvin’s arrival takes Newcastle’s summer spending above the £46m mark, and the winger is the third £10m-plus signing to have arrived through the St James’ Park entrance doors since the end of last season.

After a lengthy spell of underinvestment, Mike Ashley has finally loosened the purse strings, and despite a difficult final 12 months at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome, Thauvin is confident of being able to live up to his price tag.

“It’s not a problem for me to have such a high price,” he said. “I’m a footballer, and that’s my passion and my job. It’s always been my dream to be a footballer in the Premier League, and I’m happy to be here and do that.”

* Read an in-depth interview with Florian Thauvin in the Saturday Spotlight feature of tomorrow's Northern Echo