Vurnon Anita believes there's always been a "connection between Dutch people and Newcastle United" - and that part of the reason behind that is because Tyneside is "close to Holland". The 26-year-old's geography may be questionable - although it's likely he is referring to the fact it is easy to travel between Newcastle and Holland via ferry or plane - but his assertion that the Dutch have a strong connection with the Toon is an important one given the composition of Steve McClaren's current squad. Alongside Anita, Newcastle have four other Dutchmen on their playing staff - and the midfielder believes another reason behind the bond between Holland and Tyneside is due to the array of Oranje stars to have represented the Magpies down the years. Attacking-midfielder Siem de Jong, goalkeeper Tim Krul, right-back Daryl Janmaat and summer signing Georginio Wijnaldum - all of who, alongside Anita, are Holland internationals - complete Newcastle's Dutch contingent. Previously, the likes of Patrick Kluivert and Luuk de Jong have also worn the famous black-and-white stripes, while Ruud Gullit managed the Magpies during the late-1990s. And Anita believes Dutch interest in Newcastle United continues to grow as a result - and that the Magpies will benefit from having such a large proportion of Holland internationals in their current squad. Quoted in The Star, Anita said:
"There are a lot of Dutch players here now, and we'll certainly be doing our best for the club. "There's always been a bit of a connection between Dutch people and Newcastle - partly because of the players that have been here in the past, and partly because it's close to Holland. "I think there's probably even more interest now because there are more of us."
The latest Dutch addition to the Newcastle squad has been £14.5 million summer signing Wijnaldum, and Anita has praised his teammate's brilliant debut goal in the 2-2 draw with Southampton. Anita, who himself was stretchered off against Saints with a back problem but could still be in contention for this weekend's trip to Swansea City, continued:
"He will be a great addition. He's a very technical player and can be effective inside and outside the box. "You saw in the first-half how he got into a great position to score and he was so happy that he scored with his second chance, so that the first one could be forgotten."