Newcastle United manager Steve McClaren is delighted to have Siem de Jong on his side for the season ahead, having regularly fretted about facing the Dutchman when in charge of the team tasked with opposing him.
McClaren is no stranger to Dutch football having had two separate spells in charge of FC Twente. And during his time in the Netherlands he saw De Jong at close quarters when the forward was turning out for Ajax.
The former England boss was appointed Newcastle manager earlier this summer and can now call upon De Jong, who joined the Magpies from Ajax in 2014, to give the opposition sleepless nights.
And that delights McClaren, who told Voetbal International: "Siem de Jong belongs to the group of game changers.
"Siem was my nightmare when I worked in the Netherlands. The time he was at Ajax he was, along with Christian Eriksen, the best player in the Eredivisie", McClaren continued.
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"For me, Siem de Jong is a player who can make a difference."
Last term De Jong saw his campaign at Newcastle ravaged by injuries and was as a result reduced to just four Premier League appearances with a single goal.
During his time at Ajax, De Jong clocked up a total of 244 appearances for the Amsterdam giants, hitting the back of the net 78 times and providing his team-mates with 48 assists.
