Former Newcastle United forward Aleksandar Mitrovic has opened up about his time on Tyneside
Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates scoring for Newcastle against Sunderland(Image: 2016 Getty Images)
Aleksandar Mitrovic has admitted Newcastle has always had a special place in his heart as he reflected on his time at the club.
Mitrovic signed for Newcastle from Anderlecht in the summer of 2015 and quickly became a fan favourite at St James’ Park.
His robust, passionate playing style often saw him playing on the edge but he was a player fans felt they could relate with and it didn’t take long for the Serbia international to become popular on the terraces.
Mitrovic spent three years on Tyneside, scoring 17 goals in 72 appearances, before joining Fulham, where he went on to become a consistent goalscorer across spells in the Premier League and the Championship.
And in a heartfelt interview, he has revealed how much he still cares for both clubs but admitted he felt things didn’t go exactly as he had planned during his time at Newcastle.
“I didn’t feel any pressure around that,” Mitrovic, who now plays for Qatari side Al-Rayyan, told Flashscore.com.
“It was nice, Newcastle is a club I’ve always really liked. It has had a special place in my heart since I started following football. Maybe because of the colour of the shirt, because the team I support in Serbia also play in black and white. When I got to Newcastle, I understood that for the people there, football is almost like a religion.
“They live for football. It was my first love in football, though I went there a little bit young and inexperienced. I was 20, 21 years old and playing the best league in the world; I didn’t have a lot of time to adapt.
“Maybe it didn’t go exactly as I planned, but we still created some great memories and connections with the fans. I still have a lot of friends there.”
Mitrovic suffered relegation with Newcastle in his first season on Tyneside but stayed with the club as they won promotion back to the Premier League the following season.
He experienced the same thing at Fulham, too, and now both teams are thriving in the Premier League, and in Europe in Newcastle’s case, and Mitrovic is glad to see both clubs doing well from afar.
“To be honest, when you get relegated, you feel kind of guilty,” Mitrovic added.
“Doesn’t matter how much you play; you’re a part of the squad that got relegated. I always wanted to make it right and bring Newcastle and then Fulham back. Both these clubs are amazing, and I think they should compete in Europe.
“I’m glad they’re doing well now. Newcastle has had a few really good seasons, reached the Champions League, and Fulham wasn’t far away from European places either, and I hope in the future they will get there.
“You can see I love both clubs, and still follow and support them. So at the times of the relegations, I didn’t want to leave them because I felt good and loved there, even at times when we were in the second division, I felt the fans wanted me to stay.”
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