Martin Dubravka has admitted that he was abused by some Newcastle fans after making a short-term loan move to Manchester United in the winter.
The Magpies’ signing of Nick Pope from Burnley in the summer saw Dubravka lose his starting spot at St. James’ Park, so the Slovakian international made a temporary move to United, where he made just two appearances for the club, both of them coming in the League Cup.
Dubravka returned to Newcastle in January, but the 34-year old revealed to The Sun recently that he received lots of abuse from Toon fans because of his move.
“Some of the messages were very harsh. Some of them were very offensive, to my family and myself.
“I was thinking, ‘do I deserve this, after five years behind here, trying to do my best for the club?’”
Prior to his move to United, Dubravka had made 122 appearances for the Magpies and he admitted that he was forced to close down his Twitter due to the barrage of abuse he received.
“The abuse there [on Twitter] … I didn’t expect that.
“I thought that when I was leaving that I’d always given my best for the club, for the fans. They are the best fans and they give a lot to the team, and they want loyalty back from the players.
“But I’ve been loyal to the club for five years – I stuck with the club through bad times when we really struggled and needed points.”
Dubravka spoke of his loyalty to Newcastle and came clean that his move to United was an opportunity for him to play in more competitions.
Dubravka in action for United against Burnley in the League Cup in December
“I refused to leave at that time when other clubs made offers for me.
“I thought the fans would appreciate that and maybe understand my new situation.
“I knew David De Gea is a legend, I knew the position I went there in, but I went because there were more competitions and potential games to play. That was the only reason.”
Hopefully, Newcastle fans have forgiven Dubravka for his move, because to abuse a player that has been such a huge part of their club over the past few seasons is completely unacceptable.
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