Former Arsenal Defender Sol Campbell has lashed out at his critics amidst suggestions that he is unfit after a photo published in a local newspaper sparked comments about his "fat belly".

By Kelvin Goh Wong

Campbell who recently signed with Newcastle has expressed anger over the unsavory comments and has said that he intends to return to peak condition before the start of the season to prove his doubters wrong.

Campbell claimed that these comments are "pathetic" and inconsiderate as he is three weeks behind his team-mates in pre-season training. The former England star also got married recently and has just returned from his honeymoon. 

"I accept that the picture wasn't flattering, and I do need to catch up on my level of fitness, but the training kit was not very flattering, and showed up all sorts of things" he said.

Campbell did however insist that he is in better shape to start with at Newcastle as compared to when he started with Arsenal.

"I got myself back into shape at Arsenal, and I think I had a reasonably good end-half of the season.'' he added.

Campbell believes that due to his naturally big frame, his reconditioning must develop in stages and cannot be rushed as "doing too much, too quickly" could result in injury.

"Of course I can understand the manager wants me to be in the side, but the season starts in just two weeks and I really need three to four weeks to get back to peak fitness."

Campbell was allowed to move to Newcastle after failing to agree to a new contract with Arsenal.

Campbell adds quite a substantial amount of pedigree to the Newcastle side.

He was a former national side captain with 73 appearances for England under his belt and has also had winning seasons with clubs like Tottenham, Arsenal and Portsmouth, winning two Premier League titles and four FA Cups during his career.