Matthias Jaissle has been a man in a hurry.

Appointed by Newcastle United in a whirlwind summer of change, his in-tray has been so loaded that he only moved out of a hotel into his new home this week.

In these early days, his interactions with journalists – short answers, matter-of-fact delivery – were viewed as a man laying down a marker. A lot of fans seemed to take to the “Newcastle’s new man takes no prisoners” vibe.

But Jaissle was misunderstood. By his own admission his “guard is up” when making new acquaintances (just ask his supermodel girlfriend Lisa Czetsch, he chuckles) but a few weeks into his Tyneside tenure, that is starting to change. It is clear there is much more to Jaissle than meets the eye.

In the middle week of a super-sized international break, he is happy to open up a bit more. Inviting north-East media to the club’s training ground for breakfast and to observe part of training was his idea, we are told, and he is an interested host, asking questions and listening intently to the answers.

But the real value of the morning is the level of insight into the man charged with leading “Newcastle 2.0”, the project that is seeking to reposition the Magpies as consistent challengers by prodding a hard reset on their recruitment and squad profile.

The moments that made him

There are plenty of revelations – not least about the level of adversity Jaissle has come.

Aged five, he says, he was diagnosed with a tumour on his neck that left him fearful he would never be able to play football.

Then, at Hoffenheim, he suffered a devastating ACL and MCL injury when on the brink of a call-up to the Germany squad that left him in a wheelchair for more than four months and briefly “lost and depressed”.

These setbacks helped fire the “hunger” that has been so evident on the touchline at St James’ Park.

“When I think back, there have been many moments that have shaped my career,” he said.

“I had a tumour in my neck when I was five years old and I couldn’t move it from side to side. I learned a lot about life then – how important it is to be healthy and how grateful you should be to be healthy and to follow your dream. It was not clear I would be able to play football at that age.

“Unfortunately, I was also really unlucky with injuries. When I was 16, I missed a whole year through injury and that gave me the discipline to fight.

“Then when I made my debut for Hoffenheim after only eight months I ruptured my ACL, my meniscus, the cartilage, everything. I was done. I knew then it could be difficult to carry on playing at the highest level. I was only 20 and was about to be called into the national team for the first time.”

Stopped too soon

In his heart of hearts Jaissle knew that the doctors who hinted – gently – that he should start studying to start a career in something else were probably right.

But he was determined to “keep his dream alive”, believing for “longer than the doctors did”.

“I was forced to quit and I was also struggling for a couple of months.

“I was really down, [it was] tough to get motivated, tough to get your own rhythm again.

“As a footballer, they tell you from morning till evening, and then you lose that structure, so it was not easy.”

Life under Rangnick

He had considered becoming a sporting director or agent, but embarked on a training programme at RB Leipzig under former Manchester United manager and current Austria coach Ralf Rangnick.

The idea was to rotate through different departments – six weeks in marketing, six weeks in the commercial department – but he loved coaching so much that Sebastian Hoeness, the Stuttgart coach and Jaissle’s former Hoffenheim teammate, suggested he stay in the dugout.

“I fell in love. After two weeks I felt, ‘Wow, I have joy back in life, not only studying and reading. I have a new purpose’,” he said.

It is nice stuff and explains why he is not taking anything at Newcastle for granted.

Employed a fortnight before the start of the season, his eagerness to get going impressed the St James’ Park hierarchy.

But he is smart and his confidence should not disguise that he knows how big the challenge is.

Far from the finished article

And it has not been easy. Jaissle has been happy with a start in which the Magpies are ninth in the Premier League, but they are far from the finished article.

During the international break, Jaissle’s coaching staff have taken part in a deep data dive on what has happened this season. He leans heavily on a large team of analysts and, when we observe training later, two drones fly overhead to monitor a short, sharp session focused on positioning and movement.

Newcastle are getting results, but not playing as well as he would like. The pressing part of their game is good, but they are too high in the table for “critical ball losses” – in short they win the ball back but lose it far too quickly. Unforced errors and turnovers are a problem.

But they are a young team. Take Sean Steur, for example. He is 18 and from the Ajax academy, where playing diagonally is an anathema.

He is smart enough and good enough to adapt – and Jaissle loves his willingness to take risks even when he has made a mistake – but the whole vibe is different to working with “oven ready” 29-year-olds.

Seeing the bigger picture

Nights like when Newcastle were well beaten at Elland Road in the middle of September, are part of the price of the ticket.

“There were elements in games where we saw a lot of the things we were looking for,” Jaissle said.

“There were also phases in games where we were not happy and satisfied. So there’s still a lot of potential that we can improve.

“We need to remind ourselves always, because we have these high demands, that we are not long here now and we haven’t had too much training time.

“So it was tough. It’s really tough, tougher than expected, to get the stuff and the principles implemented into the player’s head.”

But belief in the bigger project remains. “My style will work anywhere,” he insists.

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There is also a kinship developing with his new city.

After Newcastle beat Hull City 2-1 last time out, he went out for dinner with his coaching staff and was stopped for a photograph by a group of supporters out for a birthday meal. He obliged and then bought the fan his dinner.

“It’s crazy how everything comes out but I really love the fans here and the people,” he says.

“They’re passionate but have a good sense of allowing you to keep your privacy and your distance. They’re respectful and ask if they can get a picture.

“They’re just good people.”