His decision to leave the North-East means he will not be able to impress McClaren at first hand as the former England boss looks to make his mark on the Newcastle squad.
Sammy Ameobi: “I don’t want to come here with the attitude that I’m too good for this level, or that I’m only doing it for me to be able to play every week.
“I really want to push and succeed, and have a great season.
“Then, I can go back to Newcastle and they will say, ‘You scored 20 goals – we now think you’re ready’. If that’s not going to be the case, then they won’t think that.
“It’s my home town and I’ve got a lot of love for Newcastle, of course I do, but this was a moment in my career when I felt it was something I needed to do.
“I needed to get out and grow up. Being the local kid on the block at Newcastle, it was time to go away and put my stamp on a new club. It was something I really wanted to do.”
“I talked to my brother. We had a family meeting. I just said I wanted to play football, and they were supportive and told me I had to do what I had to do. Even if it meant dropping down a level, I had to do that to play.
“At Newcastle, I wasn’t too sure where I stood with the new manager coming in. So, when the opportunity arose for me to come out on loan, I snatched at it.
“I haven’t really had a full season of just playing football. A lot of it has been in and out, and I’ve had a lot of injuries which have blighted my seasons in the past. Hopefully, I can get a fully-fit season of playing games. That will progress me as a player, strengthen me and make me more resilient.”