Go a Long way in the United side and cope with life on big stage
for himself and he wanted other players to reach those standards too.
“For him to have that attitude that young, you always knew he would go far in the game.”
While Longstaff goes from strength to strength, McNall just wants to play again.
The forward tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his first game on loan at Gateshead.
Although he remained with Newcastle while recovering, McNall when asked about Benitez.
“I had no problem with him. When he arrived I was still on a preparation time. If I didn’t play it was just a question of choice...I respected it.” Benitez took charge of nine further games – was released in the summer. The 20-year-old then trained with Gateshead before travelling to Championship club Stoke City for a one-week trial.
However, within an hour of his first training session with the Potters, McNall broke down during a smallsided game – and it brought devastating news.
He added: “I saw my consultant at Nuffield and after the scan he said my ACL had gone again. going the last six unbeaten – but by then the damage had already been done, and the Champions League winner failed to save Newcastle from the drop.
Looking at the situation as a relative outsider, Doumbia felt the club lacked that special something to save the club from relegation.
“Everything was complicated,” he admitted. “The atmosphere was negative and we felt it. I think that we should have won maybe two or three games in a row to change this negative atmosphere but unfortunately we didn’t make it. But the fans were amazing.
“Even if we were losing our games the stadium was always full, they were incredible.”
Doumbia returned to AS Roma
“All of the hard work in the gym, swimming, the rehab, the recovery – it had all been wiped out in the space of a few days.
“I sat in my car and bawled my eyes out. I was devastated, it felt like my world had ended.
“I saw Sean and he had just had a meeting about his recovery from the injury he suffered last season.
“He was devastated for me but all I could think was we were playing together not so long ago – and now but was shipped out immediately back to Switzerland, and to FC Basel where he won the league and cup double – scoring 20 goals.
A move to Sporting Lisbon failed to have the same success, as did a brief spell in Spain with Girona but now at Sion – in between a bizarre story in which he was linked with a return back to Tyneside in February 2018 – Doumbia appears to have found his level once more.
But does he look back on his time here, and think what if?
“There’s no regret,” he maintains, “but an experience. Of course I wanted to score more goals, have success and stay a longer time but I just kept the good experience and I do not regret my time in Newcastle.” as he is going from strength to strength I am at rock bottom.”
McNall underwent an operation in September to signal the start of another long slog towards recovery.
He is now facing up to more rehabilitation and hours of painstaking work as he looks to make a full and safe recovery.
He said: “I need to be patient. I need to look after myself and make sure I give myself the best chance of progressing to a good level.”