Jonjo Shelvey reveals call from Kenny Dalglish helped confirm Newcastle move was right decision
Newcastle new boy Jonjo Shelvey has revealed his former Liverpool manager and club icon Kenny Dalglish called him to give his blessing about his move to St James' Park.
Shelvey first really established himself as a Premier League player under Dalglish's stewardship during his time on Merseyside before he was sold to the Swans in summer 2013, and the latest Toon recruit was full of praise for his former boss.
He said: "I got a phone call from him last night when I was at the MetroCentre - I didn't realise how big that was either! He said, 'You have got bundles of ability, get yourself right and you will be fine and the fans will love you up there'.
"He has been here and he has done that. What a thing for one of the best players in the world of all time to ring you and say that. It was a big thing for me - it was more of a big thing for my dad.
"It's nice that I am getting people ring me like that, but it is down to me now to kick on."
The 23-year-old England international's attitude was questioned as his spell at the Liberty Stadium turned sour, with interim boss Alan Curtis seemingly having decided he was surplus to requirements in the wake of his predecessor Garry Monk's departure.
However, Shelvey, who started only two games in his final two months in south Wales and was involved in a heated exchange with a fan after the second of them, Sunday's FA Cup third-round defeat at Oxford, has vowed to make the Swans regret their decision.
He said: "I want game time. I was told I didn't suit the style of Swansea's play by the manager. I never once asked to leave, I never came out in an interview to say that.
"It's just that I wasn't going to play, wasn't getting my chance and I needed a new challenge. I was lucky a massive club showed interest in me and I'm a very fortunate boy to be here, and I realise that.
"The Swansea fans got on my back a bit at the end, without knowing what was going on behind the scenes. I was training hard and competing for a place in the team.
"I'd played the majority of games in the season and picked up five bookings - I was suspended and didn't come back. I never got a chance of getting back in the team, so I felt I was a bit hard done by. The fans got on my back and said I had a bad
attitude without really knowing what was going on behind the scenes.
"Obviously it is going to be Swansea's loss in the end. I'm just lucky enough to find a club in Newcastle that have shown interest in me."