Jenas - Sir Bobby Robson "Put His Head On The Block For Me"

Sir Bobby Robson "put his head on the block" by playing Jermaine Jenas regularly as a teenager at Newcastle United, the former Magpies midfielder believes. Jenas turned down moves to Manchester United and Leeds United in order to head to Tyneside from Nottingham Forest for £5 million in February 2002 at the age of just 18. Within a fortnight of arriving in the North East, then-Toon boss Robson handed Jenas a start against Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby and continued to play the teenager, something the ex-midfielder believes helped him earn international recognition by the age of 19.

In his column for Yahoo Sport, Jenas compared his situation at Newcastle back in 2002 with that of 16-year-old West Ham United defensive-midfielder Reece Oxford, who was given his Barclays Premier League debut by Slaven Bilic against Arsenal last weekend. Jenas wrote:

"The chances I was given at a young age by Forest and Newcastle hugely influenced my career. In my head I felt like I was going in a certain direction, and any young player will feel the same way.

"They'll feel loved by their club and that they're on a track that will ultimately lead to the first team. "But if you get to 21 and realise you're still classed as a 'kid', that's weird. "I was playing for England by the time I was 19 and it all stemmed from the fact that Bobby Robson put his head on the block for me - just like Bilic has done with Oxford."

Jenas made 152 appearances for the Magpies, scoring 12 goals, before leaving for Tottenham Hotspur in a £7 million deal in 2005. Infamously, the 21-cap England midfielder described living in Newcastle as like being "in a goldfish bowl", but the now-BBC Sport pundit continues to praise Sir Bobby Robson's handling of him as a teenager. He continued:

"I was made captain of Nottingham Forest at 17 and then I moved to Newcastle at 18 for £5 million - massive money at the time. "But my first two weeks on Tyneside were a nightmare. I was nervous, and I was rubbish in training. I remember thinking: 'What have I done? I'm just not the player I was at Forest.' "Then on the Thursday before the Tyne-Wear derby Sir Bobby Robson came to me and said: 'You're playing on Sunday by the way.' "I was shocked - there's no bigger game at Newcastle. But the minute I played that game, those two weeks of training were irrelevant. "We won 1-0, I performed well and that earned me the full respect of my teammates. Coming out the other side of that match gave me so much confidence. I felt like I'd passed my hardest test, especially mentally."

For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCulture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.