Former Newcastle winger gives emotional response to failed transfer as he trains with Premier League club

A former Newcastle United footballer has opened up about his struggles to find a club this summer as he aims to start a new chapter in his career.

13-time England international Andros Townsend was signed by ex-Newcastle manager Steve McClaren in January 2016 for a figure of around £12m.

He impressed during his six-month stay on Tyneside and recorded four goals and two assists in 13 appearances. However, he was unable to prevent the club from being relegated to the Championship and departed in the summer of 2016.

Since leaving St James’ Park, Townsend has gone on to play for both Crystal Palace and Everton in the top-flight, but he has been without a club since the end of last season following the expiration of his contract at Goodison Park.

At 32-years of age, Townsend is still hopeful of resuming his professional football after 13-month period on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate injury.

The ex-England winger was training with newly-promoted Burnley over the summer and was hopeful of making his return to football. He produced an impressive display in pre-season against Real Betis and was optimistic of his chances of being offered a contract, but plans to sign the player were eventually scrapped by manager Vincent Kompany.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5’s Monday Night Club he reflected on his disappointment, Townsend said: “To get offered a contract, to get to the day you’re signing the contract, and you’re just waiting for the paperwork to come through.

“And then to be told that contract is being ripped away from you.

"Honestly, I left that conversation in tears. I was literally in tears because I felt like my Premier League dream was over. And yeah, it was one of the toughest moments of my career."

Townsend explained he was very confident of receiving an offer over the summer and had even started house hunting in Lancashire.

He added:” If I was bad and knew I wasn’t going to get a contract I could prepare myself," he added. "But to be looking at houses, looking at schools, talking about squad numbers and then to be told the contract is no longer on offer, it rocked my world. It took me a week or so to get my head around it and process what happens next."

The 32-year-old has since been in contact with a number of Turkish and Saudi clubs but those offers also failed to materialise.

The winger remains keen to resume his football career and reports from the Daily Mail claim he is now training with his former club Tottenham as he looks to build his match fitness.

The report states that Ange Postecoglou is not looking at Townsend as a first team option and it also claims that he is training separately from the first team picture at this time.

Townsend was a product of the Tottenham academy who was associated with the club for 16 years, he represented the club on 50 occasions in the Premier League.