AYOZE PEREZ says the Newcastle squad were fully behind last week’s meal with Mike Ashley, and regard the owner’s decision to reengage with the club as a positive development.

Newcastle’s players attended a meal with Ashley, Lee Charnley and manager Rafael Benitez last Wednesday, with the sportswear magnate delivering an address to the squad.

Ashley is understood to have promised every player a free holiday if they avoid relegation this season, as well as stating that he will not sell the club before the end of the campaign and pledging to support Benitez when the transfer window reopens in January.

The Sports Direct boss also watched last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at Manchester United from the Old Trafford directors’ box, but in the eyes of many Newcastle supporters, his attempts to rebuild his relationship with the club are too little, too late.

Perez disagrees, and claims it can only be a positive that Ashley is finally back on the scene after a lengthy spell in which he appeared to completely lose interest in the Magpies.

“It’s good to see the owner, and it strengthens the feeling of togetherness as much as we can,” said Perez, who has been training at Newcastle’s Darsley Park base this week along with the rest of the club’s non-internationals.

“The results are not good, but we have to be together. We are all training every day as one. It's all about us, and we have to keep going, keep pushing.

“We improved at Man United and our performance was a step up, but in the end, against a top-six side, it was not enough.”

The defeat at Old Trafford leaves Newcastle 19th in the table, level on points with bottom club Cardiff City.

Their failure to win any of their opening eight league games means they are already three points adrift of safety, but having played five members of the established ‘big six’ in their opening run of games, they can at least look forward to a more inviting run of fixtures when the Premier League programme resumes next weekend.

Brighton are the visitors to St James’ Park next weekend, with back-to-back home games against Watford and Bournemouth set to follow a trip to Southampton.

It is imperative Newcastle discover a winning formula in those next four games, and Perez accepts that will only happen if everyone sticks together.

“The most important thing is that we all have to be going in the same direction,” he said. “That’s the key. We have to push and make sure we stay focused. We have to stay all together.

“We have done it before and recovered from a position like this, so the most important thing is to remember that. As long as we are all together, then good things will come. The owner being around can be part of that.”

Florian Lejeune has been part of Newcastle’s training group this week, having returned from a two-month spell of recuperation in Italy.

Lejeune underwent knee ligament surgery in the summer, but has returned to Tyneside to step up his recovery programme.

It will still be a number of weeks before he can join in with the rest of the squad, but his operation was successful and the early stages of his recovery have gone to plan.

“Florian’s come back to the training ground,” confirmed fellow centre-half Federico Fernandez. “He’s recovering well. I hope he’s soon with us on the pitch. It’s a long one (injury), but he’s already in the gym. He’s running and kicking the ball.”

Paul Dummett has joined in full training this week, and despite pulling out of Wales’ internationals with Spain and the Republic of Ireland, the full-back should be available to face Brighton in seven days’ time.