32-year-old international admits he wishes he could have stayed at Newcastle for longer

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A former Newcastle United player has admitted that he wishes he could have stayed at the club three years after leaving.

With Newcastle now on such an upward trajectory with a positive outlook from the owners and a quality coach in Eddie Howe it makes you wonder which players could have had a different career on Tyneside.

Speaking to Le Figaro, Florian Lejeune admitted that he would have liked to have stayed at Newcastle, but his injuries prevented him from really pushing on in the Premier League.

Lejeune had the potential to be a star at Newcastle

Signed under Rafa Benitez in Newcastle’s first season back in the top flight, Lejeune was a great carrier of the ball and a top addition to Newcastle’s defence for that initial campaign.

However, things started to go downhill for the Frenchman who suffered an ACL injury in his right knee in his second season, and whne he finally recovered he tore it again in his left knee just three months later.

That pretty much put an end to any chance of Lejeune enjoying a successful career in the North East and a terrible way to end his time in a black and white shirt, especially after the excitement when he signed.

He will, however, be remembered in Newcastle folklore for some time thanks to his two stoppage time goals against Everton back in 2020 to somehow earn Newcastle a point.

It could have been so different for Lejeune at Newcastle

Fabian Schar was in a very similar situation to Lejeune, a centre-back who was quality on the ball but was left in the shadows under Steve Bruce’s tenure who did not favour the Swiss international at all.

Now, Schar has been allowed to flourish under Howe and has quickly become one of the most underrated defenders in the Premier League late on in his career.

It does make you wonder which players could have had completely different careers at Newcastle had they arrived just a few years later, and Lejeuene especially who is now a mainstay in Rayo Vallecano’s team.

It would have been great to see Lejeune really fulfil his potential at Newcastle, but the experienced defender is now at least fit and healthy at his new club and can enjoy his football in a less physical league.