“I just didn't realise how much I needed it until I'd actually had the break and felt the benefit, and once I have a few games under my belt I'm sure it will reinforce the fact that it was the right decision to take.”

The last few weeks have seen Wilkinson named in the England elite player squad for the new season, and while welcoming any involvement with the national squad, in typically candid fashion he said:”It's more than I could have asked for given the fact that I was here getting fit over the summer, while the guys were down in Australia.

“Being named in the squad, for me, doesn't mean my game is back on track, it just means that it's nice to be thought of by the coaches and selectors. Now it's my responsibility to repay that faith and show that I can play at that level. I have to show I'm capable of playing well with Newcastle first, and if other people then say that merits a place with England then that would be fantastic.

“Being in a team is a great honour, but there'sno satisfaction in just lining up for a team photo. It's about winning things, fulfilling potential and going outside your comfort zone. You don't make memories just by being named in a squad, team photos don't mean anything. Photographs of teams winning things are the ones you treasure.

“The frustrating thing is being involved in a team when I don't feel I deserve to be there. I get no satisfaction from being named in squads if I don't deserve to be.

“It's up to other people to pick those squads, but deep down I know if I should be there, and at the moment I don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the other guys who have been playing a lot of rugby. What I need to do is get a run of games so I can analyse and evaluate my performance enough to understand where I am.

“I know what I want to achieve, and all I can do is go out every week with Newcastle and make a fist of it.”

With the club game firmly in focus as the Premiership season nears, Wilkinson said: “Up until three years ago I played virtually every game for Newcastle and England, I knew where I stood and what I needed to work on, so it has been frustrating not having that for the last few seasons.

“I want to be massively successful with Newcastle, but the hard part is realising that I have to enjoy it along the way.”

The Falcons, of course, start the season under the stewardship of John Fletcher after Rob Andrew's appointment as director of elite rugby at the RFU, with Wilkinson stating: “I think it's fantastic for Rob and for England.

“I've not spoken to him at length about it, but he is a man who wants to be successful and who has worked extremely hard, so good on him.

“He will leave a big mark here, we've learned a lot with him in charge and he has a huge amount of respect from everyone. He is the first name anyone mentions when they talk about the Falcons, and that's testament to the effort he's put in to developing the club.

“We can now capitalise on that work, and we're lucky to have a guy like John Fletcher who can really use it as a launching pad to drive home his own values and ambitions.

“Everyone at the club is working hard for each other to bring about the success we all want,and that's really what drives us every day in training.”