Clark reveals summer exit thoughts

Ciaran Clark admits he considered leaving Newcastle United in the summer after falling down the pecking order at St James’ Park. Republic of Ireland international Clark only featured once in the Premier League under former manager Rafael Benitez in the second half of last season and the lack of playing time was said to be a real frustration for the versatile defender.
With Spanish tactician Benitez leaving Tyneside after failing to agree a new contract in the summer, several players were said to be unsure about staying at the club due to the apparent lack of direction.
Newcastle appointed Steve Bruce on July 17 but the new manager was handed little time to get to know his squad before the start of the top-flight campaign. which got underway on August 9.
Clark didn’t feature in the first seven league games this term, causing more doubt about his future, but he has since managed to force his way back into the starting XI for the last five matches.
The 30-year-old, whose contract runs out in the summer of 2021, has scored in the last two outings, grabbing the opener in the 3-2 win at West Ham United, before netting the winner in the 2-1 victory over Bournemouth.
Feeling happier about life in the north east, Clark has revealed he did contemplate leaving the Magpies in the summer in order to kick-start his domestic and international career. “It was something I thought about in the summer,” he said. “I didn’t know what the situation was with the manager and I thought about it a lot, the manager came late into pre-season and there wasn’t much time to do anything.”
Clark was called up for international duty for the first time in over a year as Mick McCarthy named his finalised squad last week, and he will be hoping to feature in Thursday’s friendly against New Zealand and Monday’s crucial 2020 European Qualifier with Denmark.
The defender is also expected to retain his starting place in Newcastle’s line-up when domestic action returns, especially with captain Jamaal Lascelles set to miss the next couple of months due to a knee injury picked up in the win over the Cherries.