Jonas Gutierrez: I'll never forgive Newcastle for treatment during cancer battle

In a disarmingly frank interview with French television channel Canal+, Gutierrez insisted that he had no plans to leave the club, despite what he saw as appalling treatment during the hardest time of his life.

In speaking about the trauma of his cancer battle, Gutierrez explained how he first realised something was wrong and how he initially reacted to learning that his life was about to be changed forever.

The 31-year-old also made it clear that his relationship with the Newcastle fans has been strengthened as a result of his illness, but that he did not feel he had the full support he expected from former manager Alan Pardew.

"It was exactly the last game of the 2013 season - I had a clash with Bacary Sagna, the Arsenal defender - from then on I started having pain in a testicle," he said.

"The doctor said he couldn’t see anything wrong, that he could see everything was normal but if I continued to experience discomfort then I should tell him. I then went away on holiday, we had a month off work, and the pain persisted. When I returned from my holiday I mentioned to the doctor that the pain persisted.

"Then when we go to the specialist. He sat me down along with the club’s doctor and said, ‘look what you have is a tumour’ and they wanted to operate on me the next day.

"I never thought it could happen to me, but well, nobody is exempt from these things. It could happen to anyone, but at the time it was a shock. From then on I had in my head to be able to overcome it and to be OK again and play football again.

"I was operated on in Argentina. They removed the testicle. It was a seminoma, then they blocked everything so it couldn’t do metastasis anywhere. The post-surgery studies were good and well, I went back to England after being discharged."

But Gutierrez revealed that his time back at Newcastle was not a happy one as he attempted to recover from the illness.

"I returned mid-November and at the beginning to mid-December the manager said I should find myself another club, that it was best," he said. "I understand a lot of things about football that for the directors it is a business.

"It is clear that they look after the club’s interests, but I think in a situation like that, you need to save [consider] other things, even more if you see I had been playing for five years before having this problem, I was always playing.

"I won’t be able to forgive the way I’ve been treated. I don’t think it was the right time nor the circumstances and I think at times like that, you should look after the individual, the player."

It was reported at the time that Newcastle did not pay for Gutierrez's medical expenses, something which made matters worse for the midfielder.

"I never asked for anything. I paid for it because for me, the most important thing, as I told you, was my health.

"If they thought it was OK to do it that way, then it’s OK. I never asked for anything and that’s it. I wasn’t interested."

However, he has been blown away by the support he has received from the Newcastle supporters since returning as a substitute against Manchester United at St James' Park.

"The people from Newcastle, the fans have behaved amazingly. When I go around the city they congratulate me and say I’m looking very well.

"Very emotive words that make you very proud when you hear them. People have been so concerned for me and they’ve sent me those messages."