After signing a new five year deal, Rolando Aarons declared that he thought Newcastle were a ‘forward thinking club now’.
A player who has shown plenty promise but in very limited opportunities, says he is ‘excited for the project’ under Rafa Benitez.
Out and out winger Rolando Aarons only got three league starts under Steve McClaren and two of those were bizarrely as a left-back and the other as a wing-back.
Heading towards this summer with only one year left on his contract, nobody would have put a penny on Rolando Aarons to sign an extension.
Whilst he has undoubtedly been let down by the shambolic goings on under the Ashley administration, Aarons himself still has it all to prove.
A goal and an assist in the final stages as a sub against Tottenham in May suggested what he was capable of – but along with most of his team-mates, the winger struggled to make an impact when getting the final half hour at Craven Cottage on Friday.
Let’s hope that Rafa Benitez will be the person to help Rolando Aarons fulfil his potential.
Rolando Aarons talking to NUFC TV:
“Under the new manager there is a project and it (Newcastle) is a forward thinking Club now.
“I’m just happy to be part of what the manager has in store for the Club and I’m happy that he has faith in me.
“I wouldn’t have committed if I didn’t feel as if I was going to get a chance and I’m excited for the project.
“I can’t wait to get out there and play and not be thought of as a ‘young player’ – but actually as a senior player.
“Sometimes I forget my age and I’m my biggest critic at times – but people around me remind me that I’m not going to be the finished product at 20 years old and I need to keep working hard. It is in my nature to do so.
“It seems like I have been around for a long time but hopefully I will be for a lot more years to come.
“We (the younger Newcastle players) talk about it a bit and it almost feels as if we’re more of a family because we’ve come through the stages together and we’ve seen each other develop.
“It is good to have that relationship with your team-mates and we’ve got that having come through the youth system together, so it’s good.”
FULHAM 1 NEWCASTLE 0
Sels; Janmaat, Lascelles, Hanley, Dummett; Hayden (Shelvey 77), Colback (Aarons 61); Ritchie, Perez (Armstrong 70), Anita; Gayle.
Subs Mbemba, Darlow, Jesus Gamez, Sterry.
NEWCASTLE 3 VITESSE ARNHEM 2 (Leerdam (og), Gayle, Colback)
Sels; Janmaat (Sterry, 74), Hanley (Gamez, 62), Lascelles, Dummett; Hayden (Saivet, 74), Colback (Shelvey, 62); Anita (Mitrovic, 74), Perez (Armstrong, 62), Ritchie (Aarons, 62); Gayle (Gouffran, 74). Subs not: Darlow, Tiote, Thauvin.
SOUTHEND UTD 0 NEWCASTLE 2 (Anita, Gouffran)
Darlow; Janmaat (Sterry 63), Mbemba (Hanley 63), Lascelles, Dummett; Hayden (Colback 63), Shelvey (Saivet 73); Anita (Thauvin 78), Perez (Mitrovic 73), Aarons (Gouffran 63); Gayle (Armstrong 63).
Sub not used: Sels.
SPORTING LOKEREN 0 NEWCASTLE 4 (Perez 2, Perez, Janmaat, Shelvey)
Sels (Darlow 72); Sterry (Gouffran 63), Mbemba (Saivet 72), Lascelles (Dummett 63), Anita (Gamez 46); Hayden (Shelvey 46), Colback (Tiote 72); Janmaat, Perez (Mitrovic 46), Aarons (Thauvin 63), Gayle (Armstrong 63).
Subs not used: None.
DONCASTER ROVERS 2 NEWCASTLE UTD 2 (Hayden, Perez)
Sels, Janmaat (Sterry, 45), Mbemba (Saivet, 65), Lascelles (Dummett, 45), Colback (Hayden, 45), Anita (Gamez, 45), Ritchie (Gouffran, 45), Aarons (Perez, 45), Shelvey (Wijnaldum, 79), Mitrovic (Gayle, 45), Armstrong (Thauvin, 60).
BOHEMIANS 0 NEWCASTLE 6 (Ritchie, Mitrovic, Gayle, Thauvin, Aarons, Wijnaldum)
Sels, Anita, Lascelles, Mbemba, Sterry, Aarons, Colback, Gouffran, Ritchie, Saivet, Mitrovic.
Subs: Darlow, Gamez, Dummett, Wijnaldum, Shelvey, Hayden, Perez, Gayle, Janmaat, Tiote, Thauvin.