Gutierrez cancer torment revelation piles pressure on Pardew

Jonas Gutierrez paid his own medical bills to treat his testicular cancer and has revealed that when he returned to Newcastle United after his initial surgery, he was asked to find a new club.

The surprise revelation came from the winger, who explained in an emotional interview broadcast on Argentinian TV that he had discovered a lump on his testicle that had not gone away after a clash with Bacary Sagna following Newcastle’s 1-0 loss at home to Arsenal in May 2013. He played two games early last season but in October, he sought medical advice.

“The doctors diagnosed cancer and they decided to operate me immediately because I had this tumour,” he explained.

“I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand what a tumour was, and the doctors kept saying ‘tumour’, ‘tumour’, ‘tumour’. I only understood when they told me that tumour meant cancer. I started to cry immediately. So I went into surgery in October and they took out the tumour. They told me I would be fine.”

Jonas returned to Newcastle, where he had been a regular in the side since 2008, and went back to training. He was then hit by a bombshell by boss Alan Pardew.

“The manager asked me to leave. He told me that the best thing to do was to look for another club to play for. I was surprised because I had always been playing before my surgery.

“And I had paid for my treatment even though I was under contract with Newcastle. But that was what happened; now he wanted to me out on loan. I went to Norwich, but I got injured immediately.”

Worse was to come for Jonas, as he had another test that revealed that the cancer had returned.

“I had to have chemotherapy,” he said. “It’s hard, to see your hair falling out. I remember I was depressed in bed when 17 of my friends showed up and they were all bald. It was nice gesture. I have just finished the chemotherapy, which is definitely the most important game of my life. It’s a complicated situation, but maybe with my story I can help other people. When you fight against a cancer, you realised that all the other stuff is insignificant.”

Jonas’s comments will heap more pressure on club owner Mike Ashley, who is currently under pressure to sack coach Pardew. Newcastle are bottom of the Premier League with two points from four games. Jonas has had some support from Newcastle though: “Fabrizio Coloccini has really looked after me,” he added. “He calls me all the time. He is worried about me. He is more than a friend. I feel that he’s like family.”