When title winning Ajax captain Siem de Jong joined Newcastle United on a six-year-deal in the summer of 2014, the shrewd acquisition sent a clear message of intent to the Magpies’ Premier League rivals and was widely hailed as a major coup for the club.

Following an extensive 14-month scouting operation, United’s chief scout Graham Carr identified the Holland international – who netted 69 goals in 147 starts during his final five seasons with The Lancers – as the long-term successor to former midfield maestro Yohan Cabaye, whose departure for PSG six months earlier had derailed Newcastle’s season.

Opposition fans questioned how the Magpies had managed to land the talismanic Dutchman for a knock-down £6million fee ahead of their more prestigious European rivals, whilst the elated Toon Army purred at the prospect of de Jong – who netted three times against Manchester City in the previous season’s Champions League competition – spearheading their new look side as vice-captain.

A rasping debut strike against Oldham Athletic whet the appetite, and after impressing during Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Australia the elder brother of former Toon flop Luuk looked set to hit the ground running for Alan Pardew’s side, as they sought to reacquaint themselves with the upper echelons of the Premier League table.

Sadly, after a promising start to life on Tyneside, de Jong – whose fitness woes began during his final two seasons in Holland – was struck down with a serious thigh tear just weeks into the season, with scans revealing that he would be out of action for five long months.

The injury robbed United of their marquee summer signing and dealt a major blow to their lofty aspirations for the season; with a lack of viable back up options resulting in promising young Spanish forward Ayoze Perez – who was initially signed for the club’s development squad – being fast-tracked through the academy system and blooded into the first-team picture.

After spending several gruelling months in the gym clawing his way back to fitness, de Jong was primed and ready to return to the first-team fold in February 2015, that was until the unthinkable happened and the stricken midfielder bizarrely suffered a collapsed lung for the second time in just 18 months.

The shocking nature of the injury and the fact that it had occurred twice in such quick succession raised legitimate questions about de Jong’s future as a top level athlete, and incredulous fans labelled the former Ajax star as a flop, as they watched their side plunge towards the relegation zone under John Carver’s maladroit stewardship.

Such was the paucity of the Magpies’ attacking options in the closing weeks of last season, Carver hastily ushered the returning de Jong back into action ahead of schedule against Swansea City in April after he had played just 70 minutes for the u21 side the previous week.

Although the midfielder marked his only first-team appearance since August with an expertly-taken volley in a 3-2 defeat, it was clear that he was well off-the-pace and in need of further rehabilitation before he was equipped to handle the demands of a fierce relegation battle.

With that, de Jong was taken out of the firing line and the Dutchman was made to watch from the sidelines as Newcastle survived relegation by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season.

With his nightmare debut season behind him and five-years remaining on his contract, de Jong breathed a huge sigh of relief at the Magpies’ narrow escape, and dreamed of a new, brighter future with the club this season.

When Steve McClaren was announced as Carver’s successor in June last year, fans hoped that the well-travelled Englishman – who accrued extensive knowledge of Dutch football during two separate stints with Eredivisie side FC Twente – could finally integrate de Jong into Newcastle’s starting XI after his catastrophic maiden season in English football.

In one of his very first interviews as Magpies’ head coach, McClaren went out of his way to eulogise the fit-again de Jong, citing him as a bona fide ‘difference maker’ capable of single-handedly changing the complexion of a game at any given moment – insinuating that the crafty Dutchman would form an integral part of his future plans for the side:

“Siem de Jong’s a player I know well. He was my nightmare in Holland!” McClaren beamed to The Chronicle.

“In the Ajax days, him and Cristian Eriksen were the two players in the Eredivisie who looked excellent.

“Siem is a smart, intelligent player and I’m looking forward to working with him.

“He’s a difference maker. You need a few difference makers in your team and he’s one of them.”

After finally shaking off the broad medley of injuries that reduced him to just four Premier League appearances during the 2014/15 campaign, de Jong managed to remain unscathed whilst manoeuvring his way through an arduous pre-season tour of the United States; gradually building his way back to full-fitness and turning in some encouraging performances in the process.

The 27-year-old’s game time was managed delicately, as you would expect with a player returning after such a prolonged spell in the treatment room, however, his keen eye for goal and innate leadership qualities were evident for all to see, as he netted a smart header in United’s penultimate pre-season friendly against Sheffield United to get off the mark under McClaren’s new era.

Ominously for de Jong, McClaren directly alternated between him and Newcastle’s new £14.5million signing Georginio Wijnaldum throughout pre-season, with the two number 10s spending mere minutes together in the same line-up.

Prior to the 2015/16 campaign’s opening encounter against Southampton, McClaren looked to allay growing fears that the Dutch compatriots were too similar to operate in tandem within the same side; insisting that Wijnaldum’s versatility meant the pair could feature in a variety of different attacking systems.

Unfortunately for de Jong, McClaren did not practice what he preached, and the 27-year-old was made to watch from the bench as Wijnaldum dazzled on his Premier League debut against the Saints, netting a breathtaking breakaway goal to open his Magpies’ account.

Gini’s superb start to life in the top flight coupled with McClaren’s reluctance to field two central attacking midfielders meant that an exasperated de Jong was reduced to a number of brief cameo appearances over the opening months of the season, as he struggled to make a telling contribution in the impact substitute role.

A stylish headed finish in Newcastle’s 4-1 Capital One Cup second round triumph over League Two side Northampton was not enough to force the former Ajax academy graduate into the starting XI, and it was not until the Magpies’ season began to unravel in early December that de Jong was finally handed a long-awaited opportunity to impress.

With pressure beginning to mount on McClaren’s shoulders after an underwhelming start to his Newcastle career, the former England manager was forced to roll the dice and experiment with a new-look side against Jurgen Klopp’s rampant Liverpool in a high-stakes televised game that many had billed as a must-win due to the Magpies’ perilous league position.

One of those changes saw de Jong handed his first Premier League start of the season, as he came into the team in the hole behind lone striker Papiss Cisse, with Wijnaldum moving out to the left-hand side to accommodate the Dutchman’s rare inclusion.

In a game in which Liverpool dominated possession for large periods, de Jong carried out his off the ball duties diligently and ensured that Newcastle pressed the ball high up the pitch; making life difficult for the Reds’ defenders as they tried to build attacks from the back.

It was an effective if unspectacular display from the reinstated no.10 which was perhaps higher on perspiration than inspiration, but, nevertheless, the side finally looked balanced with him prudently bridging the gap between defence and attack with his sharp movement and slick interplay.

A late Wijnaldum brace sealed an improbable 2-0 victory over the Merseysiders and de Jong’s contributions were rewarded by McClaren, as he retained his place in the side for Newcastle’s breathtaking 2-1 victory over title-chasing Spurs at White Hart Lane the following week.

After battling back from adversity and waiting months for his chance to shine, de Jong’s Newcastle career finally looked set for lift off when rock bottom Aston Villa arrived at St James’ Park on 19th December; the Dutchman just needed a goal to bolster confidence and cement his place in McClaren’s side over the coming weeks.

With the Magpies leading 1-0 through Coloccini’s first-half goal, de Jong’s golden opportunity to seal a third consecutive victory and nail down a starting spot arrived in the 57th minute, when Wijnaldum dug out an inch-perfect cross to the unmarked Dutchman at the back post.

To the dismay of fans and coaching staff alike, de Jong implausibly contrived to miss the target from three-yards out with the goal at his mercy, handing the Villains an unlikely lifeline which they took just four minutes later when Jordan Ayew levelled the scores with a thumping 25-yard strike, with the game ending in a disappointing 1-1 draw.

The glaring miss brought Newcastle’s burgeoning momentum to a shuddering halt, and, despite picking up seven points out of a possible nine in the three games de Jong started, McClaren made the former Ajax captain pay for his incompetence in front of goal by demoting him to the bench for the duration of the Magpies’ hectic festival fixture schedule.

There was a palpable sense that the Villa miss could signal the end of de Jong’s miserable spell in the North East, with an increasingly embattled McClaren seeming to hold a grudge against the 27-year-old, as evidenced by his lack of first-team minutes.

Just as rumours began to circulate that the disgruntled Dutchman could be set for a January return to his homeland, disaster struck once again, and de Jong was nearly robbed of his vision in a freak training ground incident that saw the forward rushed to hospital in searing pain with blood streaming from his eye.

Although fans rolled their eyes and expressed their consternation at the news that their hapless no.10 had suffered yet another injury straight out of a ‘Final Destination’ movie, there was genuine concern for de Jong’s vision following the accident, and doctors later confessed that he had been very fortunate to avoid lasting damage.

With games fast running out and Newcastle’s position in the bottom three rapidly developing into a cause for acute concern,  McClaren ostracised the now recovered de Jong, leaving him out of the match day squad for the 3-1 home defeat against AFC Bournemouth; with the besieged Englishman effectively signing his own p45 by starting the abject Emmanuel Riviere in the Magpies’ most pivotal game of the season.

Thankfully for de Jong and all associated with Newcastle United, the wretched home defeat to The Cherries was to be McClaren’s last game in charge, with the former Twente boss’s nightmarish nine-month reign coming to a belated end the following week and revered Spaniard Rafael Benitez agreeing to step into the breach for the remaining 10 games of the season.

Benitez’s timely arrival as manager has injected fresh vigour and enthusiasm into Newcastle’s formerly languid squad, and the Magpies’ star-crossed forward Siem de Jong has been brought in from the cold and handed the fresh start that he so desperately needs.

Although the Spaniard’s opening two games have not bore much fruit in terms of points gained, there has been a tangible progression in all aspects of Newcastle’s play; with greater organisation, strategy and application leading to two encouraging displays against Leicester City and Sunderland, leaving previously crestfallen supporters feeling bullish about their sides chances of survival between now and May 15th.

Though de Jong has not yet started a game under the former Liverpool boss, his involvement has been substantial, and his adroit second-half performance during last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland changed the entire complexion of a game that looked to be slipping out of the Magpies’ grasp.

With the Black Cats leading 1-0 through Jermain Defoe’s first-half goal and Newcastle struggling to get a foothold against a stubborn midfield duo of Yann M’Vila and Jan Kirchoff, de Jong was introduced to stretch the game and break Sunderland’s pertinacious resistance.

The Dutchman had the desired affect, as he opened the game up; expertly finding pockets of space whilst intelligently dragging defenders out of place to create space for his black-and-white teammates – a ploy which led to Aleksandar Mitrovic’s late headed leveller.

de Jong’s guileful display did not go unnoticed by the Toon Army, with many fans on social media lauding the 27-year-old with praise and clambering for him to be handed a start in next weekend’s vital relegation six-pointer with Norwich City.

United have been found wanting in the final third for the duration of this season, yet with de Jong – one of their most technically-gifted players – on the pitch, they look far more cohesive when approaching the opposition goal.

This appears to have been picked up on by Benitez, with The Chronicle claiming that the new Magpies’ boss has gone out of his way to make the Dutchman know that he is wanted at the club and is in line for a key role over the final eight games.

One of Steve McClaren’s many shortcomings as United head coach was his failure to accommodate de Jong into a side desperately lacking in leadership and nous but, after recognising the Dutchman’s capabilities, a manager of Benitez’s pedigree will be looking to squeeze every ounce from the former Ajax captain between now and the end of the season.

In danger of becoming a modern-day Marcelino with his string of extraordinary injury blows, de Jong now has a real opportunity to write a new chapter in his Newcastle story and reignite a career that looked all but dead-and-buried less than a month ago.

Whether this will be another false dawn for the Magpies’ no10 remains to be seen, but, with a tactically astute manager finally at the helm, the man who achieved near legendary status during his time in Holland looks like he will be handed one last chance to prove his worth at St James’ Park, and he must seize it with both hands.

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