Striker admits Newcastle United move was a bad idea

The striker had a half-season spell at St James’s Park on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach in the 2013/14 campaign.

However, de Jong – whose brother Siem would later join Newcastle – didn’t find the net in 12 appearances for the club, and the 29-year-old, now at Sevilla, has reflected on his time at United and Monchengladbach in an interview with Voetbal International.

“I have indeed played in Germany and England, but the clubs were not the right ones for my game,” said the Holland international. “I was never afraid that it would not work abroad a third time. I was very confident that I wanted to do this.

“I have shown at PSV (Eindhoven) in the Champions League that I can play well against European top clubs. Then I can also do that in a top league.”