Andros Townsend admits he was 'emotional' when leaving Tottenham

Andros Townsend admitted that he left Tottenham with a "tear in his eye", but feels he made the right choice in signing for Newcastle.

Before his Magpies debut against Everton on Wednesday, the 24-year-old had played just over an hour's worth of Premier League football this campaign, prompting him to leave the club which he grew up supporting to join Newcastle's survival fight.

Despite spending much of his Spurs career out on loan, Townsend had worked his way into the first-team fold at White Hart Lane, and became a pivotal figure for club and country, before he fell out of favour under Mauricio Pochettino.

And, in an interview with Soccer Saturday, the Euro 2016 England hopeful revealed that despite needing to seek pastures new in order to resurrect his career and have a chance of making Roy Hodgson's squad for this summer's tournament in France, leaving his boyhood club was nonetheless very tough.

"I was extremely emotional leaving Spurs. I am not going to lie, I did have a tear in my eye," Townsend said. "I had been at the club since I was eight, progressing through the ranks to the first team.

"I wasn't in the Spurs squad for the past few months, so could take a step back and watch the other teams and plan my next move. My family and my agent made it happen.

When you love a club so much it is hard to leave, and if people at the club tell you they want you to stay then you are not going to go against them.

"Nowadays, with players coming from abroad, you have to ply your trade in the lower leagues out on loan, and I did that steadily through League One up to the Championship, and then a Premier League loan under Harry Redknapp. It is a vital part of your upbringing.

"For the past few windows, I have thought it may be best for me to move on and progress with my career. When you love a club so much, it is hard to leave, and if people at the club tell you they want you to stay, then you are not going to go against them.

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"60 minutes of Premier League football this season is not enough for a 24-year-old, so then the decision was made quite easily. I would have had a lot of regrets if I'd have left in the summer, but now, I've not been in the squads so the decision was easy."

Townsend showed no rustiness as he was thrust straight into the Newcastle first team on Wednesday in the defeat at Everton, and is fully focused on turning his new side's fortunes around and guiding them to Premier League safety, boosting his own stock in the process.

"Newcastle are a massive club, massive stadium, big fan base, passionate fans, a good manager who knows my game inside out, and knows what I can bring to the team - for me it was an easy decision that I wanted to go to Newcastle," Townsend added.

"If we are going to stay up, we need to beat the teams in and around us - West Brom, Sunderland, Norwich - and it starts with a massive game at the weekend.

"I hope that me coming here means I can play on a more consistent basis, and get back to showing the form I know I can show, and if anything happens on the back of that in the summer, then fantastic. First and foremost, I just want to help Newcastle stay up."