Newcastle fans have given a mixed reaction on Twitter in light of a report claiming that Vurnon Anita is set to be axed by the club.
The Newcastle Chronicle have reported that the 28-year-old will leave St. James’ Park when his contract ends within a matter of weeks despite mulling over the idea of offering a new deal.
Anita has spent five years on the Magpies’ books after he was signed for £5million from Ajax in 2012.
The Newcastle Chronicle also claims that the utility man has started to attract attention from clubs across Europe and that he hopes to secure a big-money deal with a potential suitor.
The three-times Netherlands international was never an outstanding player in his time at Newcastle, but was always relied upon to fill in the gaps due to his ability to play in several different positions.
For most of the Championship title-winning campaign that has just ended, Anita was deployed in midfield or at right-back as injuries ravaged DeAndre Yedlin in his first year on Tyneside.
Fans have taken to Twitter to show their appreciation for the ex-Ajax man, but most seem to agree that he was never going to be good enough for the Premier League while one claims that he would be an “absolute bargain” for whoever wants to sign him next.
Here is a selection of tweets from the Toon Army:
https://twitter.com/nufcsense/status/867825644037701632
https://twitter.com/ArmstrongAndy93/status/867816798770651137
"Vurnon Anita is set to make a surprise departure from Newcastle this summer" NO. That is NOT a surprise #nufc
— ??Girish Prabhu?? (@girishthetoon) May 25, 2017
Looked off the pace in the championship. Good decision to let him go
— Matt Milne (@21Milner) May 25, 2017
I always liked Vernon Anita. Tidy player. Can do a job. Apparently Benitez wants more. I'm fine with that #nufc
— Rich Oliver (@bigpapablu) May 26, 2017
https://twitter.com/RobNUFCWoodley/status/868095484820324352
A good season in the Championship doesn't make up for sub average performances throughout the years.
Time for Vurnon Anita to move on#NUFC— James (@James_D89) May 25, 2017
Gave 100% but proved he's not good enough at the top level, thanks for his efforts tho
— sam j (@sam_army94) May 25, 2017