Van the man pays tribute to the fans!
Posted on March 3rd, 2010 | 22 Comments |
I can understand Chelsea wanting the boy back as he has been nothing short of exceptional in his brief spell on Tyneside, but with Jose Enrique now fit and raring to go in our next match against Barnsley, there would be little point in stifling the young lads development by sitting him on the bench, especially when we have young Tamas Kadar who can play left back should anything happen to Enrique.
It seems the Newcastle United supporters have made quite an impression on the Dutchman. After the final whistle blew at Vicarage Road on Saturday, van Aanholt split from his team-mates and walked over to the travelling Toon Army to pat a final farewell, for which he recieved rapturous applause. Reflecting on his reception, van Aanholt had this to say:
“That meant a lot – they like me, I think, and I like them. They have been important for me during my time here and I wanted to show them that at the end.”
“It was nice when they responded like that – they are brilliant fans and it has been an honour to play for Newcastle United.”
It’s always nice to recieve praise from players that effectively belong to other teams, and the lad has been excellent whilst he has been here with a string of dependable performances whilst deputising for the now fit again Enrique. It also seems we have now a new member of the Toon Army, with van Aanholt stating he will be keeping an eye out for us. He said:
“I will look for the Newcastle results straight away and I will keep in touch with all of the players”
“I have played every game and it has helped me a lot. The whole team is full of very good players and I really hope they win the league.”
“I have to go back now to Chelsea but I have loved my time here and it has been a brilliant experience.”
I’d like to have seen us try to sign him up or at least extend his loan but if Chelsea didn’t want to play ball then there is very little Chris Hughton or Newcastle United could do. Although it’s only been a short stay, nobody can doubt his work ethic and application and personally I’d rather have 11 van Aanholt’s over a Michael Owen or a Geremi.
Judging by the words of the player then I’d assume he would like to come back here. Perhaps it’s worth a cheeky bid in the summer if we do what looks likely and get promoted. I’m not saying he would get in ahead of Enrique but I’m sure he would get more of a chance at Newcastle than he would at Chelsea, and for how many years now have we needed a left back who can come in and cover in his natural position? Too long.
Thank you Patrick and good luck in the rest of your career!
Like the boy hope he comes back one day good luck down at the bridge