Tim Krul reveals what Rafa Benitez told him at Newcastle
Krul will be between the posts for Brighton and Hove Albion in their FA Cup tie against Crystal Palace tonight.
The goalkeeper joined the Premier League club early this season, initially on loan, after being told he was not in Benitez's plans at St James's Park.
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Hide AdKrul – who spent a more than a decade at Newcastle – had hoped to force his way into the team after reporting back for pre-season training in the summer following a loan at AZ Alkmaar.
“I said to the gaffer ‘give me a chance, I’ll show you I’m back'," said Krul, who suffered a serious knee injury playing for Holland in October 2015.
“Rafa had different ideas. He said ‘it doesn’t matter what you do'. That’s the business. We know we’re puppets to a certain extent.”
Krul was told to train at the club's Academy last July while he looked for a new club.
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Hide AdMidfielder Jack Colback, also told he had no future at United, soon joined him.
“It wasn’t right,” Krul told The Times. “I think (Benitez) knows that as well.
"Listen, I know how football works. If somebody wants to get rid of you, I don’t mind. If the right offer comes, I’ll go.
"I wouldn’t sit there just for the sake of it, but the way it was done ... I shouldn’t have been put in the Academy. I just wanted to be treated with respect. At least let me train with the first team.”
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Hide AdKrul, reunited with former Newcastle manager Chris Hughton at the Amex Stadium, is grateful for the opportunity he has been given by Brighton after a difficult couple of months on Tyneside.
The 29-year-old: “I felt I was back where I needed to be, but people were saying ‘what’s up? Why is he in the Academy? Is he all right?’.
“I had that doubt hanging over me, which was a shame. I’m lucky Brighton looked deeper and I try not to dwell on it. The train keeps rolling.”