Newcastle United winger Callum Roberts has confirmed that he is set to leave the club this summer in a heartfelt message to the fans and staff at St James’ Park.
The forward, who appeared and scored for Newcastle’s first team in the FA Cup this season, posted on his personal Twitter account revealing he would be departing Tyneside after coming through the Magpies’ youth ranks.
Would like to thank everyone associated with @NUFC for my time at the club. From progressing through every age group to playing and scoring in the first team is things i will never forget. I would also like to thank all the coaching staff and players ive played with….(1/2)
— Cal Roberts (@Calroberts_) May 14, 2019
….(2/2) for making me the player and person i am today. When one door closes another always opens and im already looking forward to the future. Again thankyou and all the best @NUFC ????? pic.twitter.com/FsLI6uU5OU
— Cal Roberts (@Calroberts_) May 14, 2019
The 22-year-old, who was born in South Shields, played just twice for the senior side during his time at the club with loan spells at Kilmarnock and Gateshead helping him develop during his fledgling career.
Opinion
It cannot be easy for a homegrown talent to leave his boyhood side but it is in the best interests of both parties that Roberts looks for a new challenge this summer. There are some 22-year-olds out there with hundreds of games worth of first team experience under their belt and yet the north east native has less than 20 to his name. He really needs to find somewhere new to call home in a footballing sense to further his career and make sure he does not fade into complete obscurity. At least he can say he scored for his boyhood club Newcastle United during his time with the Magpies and that is something he will surely cherish forever. There will be plenty of young boys and girls dreaming of playing a minute of football for the club, let alone finding the back of the net in the black and white stripes, so his time coming through the ranks has not been in vain.