Georginio Wijnaldum Explains Why He Left Newcastle Ahead of St. James' Park Return

Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum returns to St. James Park for the first time since his 2016 departure on Sunday, and he has taken some time ahead of the clash to explain why he left the club.

The Dutchman, signed by the north east club for £14.5m from PSV Eindhoven, enjoyed a great debut season on a personal note as the Magpies were relegated in 2016.

Matthew Lewis/GettyImages

It prompted the Reds to come knocking with an offer of £23m plus add-ons, and for the 26-year-old, the lure of such a huge club was too much to ignore.

He said, as quoted by the Liveprool Echo: "I remember my last game for Newcastle in the pre-season when their fans were singing that they wanted me to stay, but when the opportunity came to play for a great club like Liverpool with such a great history I had to take it. I hope they understand why I made that choice to go to Liverpool.

Stu Forster/GettyImages

"When the previous season at Newcastle ended, I said publicly that I wouldn’t force a move. When Liverpool came in for me I made up my mind that I wanted to come here, but I wasn’t going to force it because I appreciated what Newcastle and their fans did for me."

Wijnaldum chalked up six goals for Jurgen Klopp's side last season in a quietly impressive showing, each effort coming at Anfield. 

Interestingly, he is without an away strike since he netted against Den Haag for PSV in May 2015, and will be eyeing his former club as an opportunity to break the duck.