Dutch defender Jetro Willems has admitted that he ended up depressed during his time at Newcastle United as he battled back from a long-term injury.
Willems has been speaking to ESPN regarding his struggles earlier in his career as he spent months on the sidelines at St James Park.
Willems joined Newcastle on a season long loan deal in August 2019, with the Magpies paying €1m for the privilege in an effort to bolster their squad.
He was a regular for the Magpies in the first half of the season, picking up two goals and three assists in 20 appearances in all competitions before disaster struck in the 15th minute of a clash against Chelsea in the middle of January.
It was the biggest injury of his career to date, with his two previous biggest injuries at PSV seeing him miss 189 days and 119 days respectively.
He’s been battling to get back to his best in the three years since and now, looking back on his time at Newcastle, admits he did end up suffering from depression while out of action.
“At that time, I was depressed,” he said.
“I’m not one to talk to people a lot. I just think get some sleep, tomorrow is another day. You tell yourself that you forgot tomorrow, but actually you haven’t forgotten at all.
“You are extending it and making things worse. Now I talk about it and come to the conclusion that I was depressed at the time.
“I think after my operation [he was at his worst], because I couldn’t do anything for three months. I sat on the couch with a brace from my hip to my ankle. Then you don’t experience anything, and you don’t see what is happening in the outside world.”
