Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar was among those to react after John Ruddy said goodbye to Newcastle United supporters.
Ruddy is leaving Newcastle United after a two-year stint on the club’s books, although the veteran never actually made a competitive appearance.
Still, Ruddy was an important figure behind the scenes at Newcastle and manager Eddie Howe spoke highly of him.
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Ruddy is just one of a few Newcastle exits this summer. Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth have already left, while other more high-profile players are set to follow.
Schar himself could be one and while there has still been no official update on his future as his contract enters its final stages, the defender looks gutted that Ruddy is leaving.
Schar expresses sadness as John Ruddy leaves Newcastle United
On Friday, Ruddy posted an Instagram post reading: “Geordies…Thank you for welcoming me and my family to your club. The last photo [showing a quote from Sir Bobby Robson] says it perfectly.
“So fortunate to meet and work alongside amazing people. Big shout out to the GK union, led by @barts2729 & @jalal14gk for making every day enjoyable and stimulating.”
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Schar responded with a crying face and two heart emojis. Quite what that means for his future is unclear, but Howe has previously sounded fairly positive about reaching an agreement.
Schar was not alone in wishing Ruddy well, which says an awful lot about his time on Tyneside.
Lewis Hall wrote: “What a guy.”
Tino Livramento added: “Thanks for everything.”
Alex Murphy added: “Legend.”
With Trippier also going, Newcastle threaten to lose a lot of leadership this summer. They looked rudderless at times during the 2025/26 campaign and losing even more nous is hardly welcome.
It is difficult to put exactly what Ruddy did behind the scenes into words. Yet, the sheer number of comments about his departure do suggest he played an important role.
Leadership could be hard to come by next season, unless the right recruitment decisions are made. That is why keeping a player of Schar’s experience makes total sense even despite his advancing years.
Over to you, Newcastle.
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