AYOZE PEREZ is hoping his attacking relationship with Aleksandar Mitrovic will help ensure Newcastle United successfully complete the task of winning promotion to the Premier League.

Having shared four goals in last month’s matches against Ipswich and Preston, Perez and Mitrovic started alongside each other as Newcastle took on Cardiff last weekend.

They linked up to help create the Magpies’ first goal for Christian Atsu, and dovetailed neatly as Rafael Benitez’s side claimed a 2-1 victory to open up an eight-point gap to the play-off positions.

Dwight Gayle and Mo Diame will hope to return to the starting line-up for the trip to Leeds United at the end of the international break, but having played alongside Mitrovic on a number of occasions last season, Perez is hoping to pair’s link-up play will be a key feature of Newcastle’s attacking play in the remainder of the campaign.

“We both feel really, really good with each other,” said the Spaniard, who has claimed six goals in all competitions this season. “We make a good couple and we always try to find each other.

“Against Cardiff, we linked up well for the first goal and we are learning from each other and making each other better. We are winning games together too, which is good.”

Last weekend’s win was Newcastle’s eighth in a row in all competitions, a run that has seen the Magpies become odds-on favourites to return to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

Having started the season poorly, with back-to-back defeats to Fulham and Huddersfield, Newcastle have looked a class apart from the majority of their Championship rivals in the last few weeks.

Perez insists it would be wrong to take anything for granted with 30 games of the league season still to play, but admits things are markedly different to last term, both on and off the pitch.

“It feels different,” he said. “The truth is we are playing much better, we are playing good football and it's very different to last season. We feel comfortable now, we are confident and you can feel it outside on the pitch.

“We’ve just been trying to improve the little things which can always be better. That’s exactly what we are trying to do and have been doing over the last six weeks.

“We are working hard, pushing and everyone is looking to go in the same direction. We are up at the top, but still we are not there yet.”

Benitez’s role in enacting that change has been crucial, with the former Liverpool and Real Madrid boss overseeing a radical change in attitude off the field as well as a marked improvement in fortunes on the pitch.

He works closely with all of Newcastle’s attacking players on the training ground, with Perez already reaping the benefits when it comes to his own game.

“He always makes sure that everything is right and everyone is trying to learn from him,” he said. “Everyone is improving as players individually, and also as a team.

“Individually and as a team, I think we are getting better. The team is growing and doing better every game. Individually as well, I feel like I am growing as a player and that's why I am happy.”

Meanwhile, Moussa Sissoko claims he is desperate to see Newcastle win promotion this season, despite having done all he could to engineer his departure from St James’ Park this summer.

Sissoko left Newcastle in a £30m deadline-day move to Spurs, but claims he continues to follow the fortunes of his former club closely.

“I do follow them, I have lots of friends there,” said the French midfielder. “We stay in touch. I see what they do, that’s fine.

“They are doing very well. I hope it will go on like this all season, and they will have the chance to go back in the Premier League.”