Newcastle United have seen a number of players come and go at St James' Park over the years, with there having been notable figures who were simply unable to make an impact at the club, including a certain Siem de Jong.

The Dutchman endured what can only be described as a wholly forgettable and injury-ravaged time in English football, having been snapped up from Eredivisie giants Ajax in the summer of 2014 during Alan Pardew's stint in charge.

The Magpies had bizarrely had his younger brother Luuk de Jong at the club on loan during the second half of the previous campaign, albeit with the towering striker having failed to score in 12 appearances before making a return to parent club Borussia Monchengladbach.

Unperturbed by the disappointing nature of his sibling's time with the Tynesiders, Pardew and co went ahead with their move for the more senior De Jong, securing the playmaker's services for a reported fee of around £6m.

That move ultimately backfired for all parties as the 6 foot 1 menace hardly featured for the club over the next few seasons, notably making just four Premier League appearances during his debut campaign after sustaining a thigh injury just a month into the season, as well as later suffering a collapsed lung.

Having previously sparkled during his time in Amsterdam - with 16 goals and ten assists to his name during the 2012/13 season - the six-cap Netherlands international was unable to recapture that form at Newcastle, failing to score in 18 top-flight appearances during the 2015/16 season as the club suffered relegation.

That campaign had seen the struggling figure also suffer a freak eye injury in training that seemingly epitomised his time at the club, having also suffered as a result of Pardew's departure for Crystal Palace.

The Aigle-born man was subsequently shipped back to Holland to join PSV Eindhoven on loan for the following season, before calling time on his dismal spell in England in 2017, making a return to Ajax for a fee of around £2m.

In total, De Jong had scored just two goals in 26 appearances for the northeast side in that three-year spell, ensuring that he cost the club roughly £3m per goal scored in relation to his initial cost.

The player himself seemingly has no regrets about joining the club, despite his obvious frustration at being unable to stay fit, having also insisted that he had even been keen to stay on longer before his eventual departure.

After returning to his former club five years ago, the versatile forward went on to initially impress as he provided 12 goal contributions during the 2017/18 campaign, although ultimately fell out of favour after that, subsequently spending time at A-League side Sydney FC as well as with MLS outfit FC Cincinnati.

Having spent the last two seasons with Heerenveen - where the £248k-rated marksman scored seven times in 52 appearances - the 33-year-old now plies his trade with second-tier side De Graafschap.