'It was an honour': Former Newcastle United forward issues emotional statement

Former Newcastle United forward Siem de Jong is set to hang up his boots.

The 34-year-old – whose brother Luuk, a striker, also played for the club – spent three years at St James' Park.

De Jong will play his final game for De Graafschap tonight against Den Bosch after an injury-hit few seasons.

In a statement, De Jong said: “The dream started almost 30 years ago next to De Vijverberg Stadium, when Luuk and I climbed over the fence to play football on the old training field.

"I will play my last game as a professional football player in this beautiful stadium. Thank you for that, it was an honour.”

De Jong spoke to the Gazette about the injuries which had held him back at Newcastle in the summer of 2017, shortly before he joined Ajax.

"I still feel like I have a lot to give," said the former Holland international. "I’m 28. It (injuries) has cost me years of my career.

"I’m at a good age, and I feel better than I ever was, but I need to play and prove myself. I need to get back to playing 40 games a year.

"You don’t get a lot of time in football to do that. If I stay here, and don’t get minutes, then it won’t help me, and it won’t help the club.

"I want to prove myself at Newcastle. I still feel I haven’t started here.

"It bothers me that I haven’t been able to do that. I wish it was different, but I can’t change that now. I’m disappointed about my years here until now. I want it to be a different story."