Newcastle United boss Chris Hughton admits kicking off their Premiership return at Manchester United is a downer.

Hughton admits he had been hoping for an easier start to life back in the Premier League than Manchester United away.

Newcastle bounced straight back up at the first attempt after strolling to the Championship title - and their reward is an August 14 trip to Old Trafford.

Hughton said: "It's a tough start for us, we would have preferred a home game to kick the season off but you take what you get.

"We can take heart and confidence from the 1-1 draw we earned at Old Trafford two years ago on the opening day of the 2008-09 season."