Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has revealed that he never contemplated leaving the club following their relegation from the Premier League last season.
The 24-year-old, who made a £12m move to St James' Park in January, admitted that he had 'got the hump' when he was dropped by manager Rafael Benitez towards the end of the last campaign but spent the summer working hard on his fitness.
"I've not thought about leaving once," Shelvey told The Chronicle. "I wanted to stay at this football club - I only signed in January! I'm settled here. I've got my family here and things like that. It's a great city to live in and a great football club to play for.
"It was tough not playing at the back end of last year. I'm the sort of person that normally gets the hump if he's not playing, but I think that's natural as a footballer. You want to play every game.
"At the end of the day I went away in the summer and worked on my body and my mind. I want to stay here and play for this club."
Having lost a stone over the summer, Shelvey has featured in every one of Newcastle's 11 league games this season, contributing three goals and three assists.
Neil Wilkes
