Twenty-one-year-old Hayden returned to the starting line-up for the 2-0 Sky Bet Championship victory at Barnsley on Tuesday night, partnering the in-form Jonjo Shelvey in the engine room.

The former Arsenal man excelled at Oakwell in what was his first start since the 1-1 draw at Aston Villa last month, and will be hoping to hold on to his place in the side for the visit of Ipswich Town to St. James' Park on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

And Hayden says that having the likes of Shelvey and Jack Colback alongside him vying for a place at the heart of Rafa Benitez's team has helped lift each player's levels.

"You look at the way Jonjo's been playing, and it almost inspires you to raise your game," he told nufc.co.uk.

"In training, there's been me, Jonjo and Jack playing the central areas, and Jonjo and Jack are two top quality players. I think that we all make each other better, because in training we're always pushing each other to train harder, to be better, and I think that's important.

"The competition is making the squad better, and it's making the players that are playing stay on their toes, because they know that if they don't perform, then they could be out of the team. I think it's only good for the football club, and good for the season ahead."

Benitez made three alterations to his team for the midweek win over the Tykes as United secured their fourth win in succession, extending their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions.

Hayden says that the calibre of the squad is "ridiculous", with each player knowing that places are always up for grabs.

"With the squad's ability all over the pitch, you look at the players who weren't playing on Tuesday - Mitrovic, Yedlin, Atsu - and the quality in the group is ridiculous," he said.

"People know that if they can't play Saturday, Tuesday and Saturday again, the manager might rotate players. But whoever's coming in is going to be of the highest quality - we know that. Everyone's got confidence in each other in the group.

"So for us, it's just about keeping momentum now, getting more three points and making sure that we stay at the top of the league."

The game against the Tractor Boys this weekend is the first of three games in the space of a week for the Magpies, with an EFL Cup last 16 clash with Preston North End at St. James' on Tuesday coming just before a trip to face the same opponents at Deepdale next Saturday.

And England Under-21 midfielder Hayden - who won promotion from the Championship while on loan at Hull City last season - says that consistency is key as his side seek to keep their place at the top of the second tier.

"That's what the Championship is about. There's a lot of games Saturday-Tuesday, and it's about consistency - I think that wins are so vital at this stage of the season because if you draw a gap between you and a few of the other clubs and pull away, then it can make life easier at the end," he said.

"But for us, I think it's just about taking every game as it comes, one by one, and not really looking too much at the league at the minute because it's only early days.

"It's about individual games, making sure that we do what the manager wants, we perform to our best and get three points every week."