Newcastle midfielder Jonas Gutierrez has accused former Newcastle manager Alan Pardew of telling him to look for a new club during his battle with testicular cancer.
SEE MORE:
Chelsea step up pursuit of £40m South American wanted by Manchester United
Juventus urged to sign Chelsea reject to help them win Champions League
Newcastle’s Papiss Cisse accepts seven-game ban for spitting at Man Utd’s Jonny Evans
The 30-year-old Argentina international returned to action for the Magpies with a substitute appearance in the 1-0 home loss against Manchester United, after 17 months on the sidelines.
Gutierrez, who moved to Newcastle in 2008 from Spanish side Mallorca, is quoted by The Mirror on how Pardew’s words hurt him.
He said: “He told me to look for a team a moment after the second operation at the end of 2013.
“This hurt me a lot. You have to be more human and not look only at the football side and business.
“I only look to the future and each of us has to look at themselves and their conscience.”
The winger could face a week off, with Newcastle play against Everton next Sunday, and he wants to earn his place back in the side on merit and not sympathy.
He added: “I’ll continue to do my best in the training and work hard to get the minutes on the pitch I want. I’m going to fight for my place. You get opportunities in football, and you have to be ready to take them.”
Newcastle are firmly rooted in Premier League mid-table medocrity, sitting in 11th place, 18 points off the top four and 13 points above the relegation zone.
COMMENTS