Olivier Kemen has opened up on his regret of leaving Newcastle United as a youngster.
The French midfielder joined the Magpies from Metz in 2013 and spent two seasons at the club, becoming a regular in the under-23s side.
However, despite regularly training with the first-team at Newcastle, he failed to make a senior appearance before being sold to Lyon in 2015.
In an interview with LFP, Kemen, now 24, admitted he lacked the patience required to break into the first-team at Premier League level.
He said: "I wanted to sign professionally at Metz, the board were aware, but they took their time. I was very attached to the club, the town.
"When a few English clubs came forward, Metz reacted, but too late. In the end, I sign for six years at Newcastle at the age of 16.
"There, training was very intense and very physical. I progressed rapidly, learned to be tougher, to go forward quicker.
"The first time I was called up in the group, I was 17 and we were playing Chelsea.
"Then, I sat on the bench of pretty much every club in the Premier League but never came on.
"In England, there’s a real notion of patience for youngsters. I lacked that.
"The club counted on me, but I wanted to be valued more, play games. I wanted everything straight away because I felt capable of doing it."
Kemen struggled at Lyon as well, making just four senior appearances during a turbulent period in the club's recent history.
He now plays for Ligue 2 side Chamois and says he should never have left Newcastle.
"When I saw the French leaving Newcastle one after the other, I had a crisis. I found myself all alone.
"I wanted to be like them but at that time, they were 27-28 years old, they already had a career behind them while I had just turned 18.
"But I didn't see him like that at the time. I said to myself, 'My friends are leaving, I want to leave too'.
"I entered a war that was not mine. Today, it's a choice that leaves me with a bitter taste. I loved Newcastle too much. It is the club that I have loved the most since the start of my career.
"After under-19 Euros, I received several proposals and I opted for OL, a big club that placed a lot of hope in me."
