• Premier League

Cabaye says sorry to Newcastle fans

Yohan Cabaye has apologised to Newcastle fans for his behaviour during the summer transfer window as he looks to get back on track with the Magpies.

Cabaye, 27, was subject to intense speculation regarding his future, with Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Arsenal all strongly linked with a move for the midfielder. Only one club, Arsenal, submitted a bid for Cabaye, which was described as derisory and promptly rejected.

Making his first start for the club this season on Saturday against Aston Villa, Cabaye revealed how happy he was to return to the fold, especially given the ovation he received from the traveling support.

"It was very, very good to be back in the team; a really nice feeling," he told the club's official website. "The most important thing for me is to be on the pitch and to play. I want to do my best for the club, for the team, for everyone and, of course, I want to win every game we play.

"[The ovation] was very nice to hear. If the fans were - or still are - mad at me for what happened then I understand and I apologise to them. I want to come back from what has happened.

"For Newcastle fans, football is their life and I want to say that I am going to give everything - as I have from my first day here - from today until the end of the season."

Speaking for the first time about the summer transfer saga, Cabaye was asked if he had felt the pressure in recent weeks after being left out of the France squad: "I'm okay. This is football," he said.

"In your career you do not have a career without bad moments. I have moved on and now in my head I just want to work really hard, to get back in the team every week and to help the team - that is the most important thing for me. I want to forget what happened during the summer, I want to put it behind me and give everything for Newcastle every day, for the club and for my team-mates."

With a World Cup on the horizon, the former Lille captain is also desperate to be included in Didier Deschamps' plans next summer. Requiring both regular game time and top draw performances to beat out his competition at international level, Cabaye was asked whether his international ambitions can be achieved on Tyneside.

"Yes, why not?" he said. "I went to the European Championships playing for Newcastle so yes, I am confident that if I am on the pitch and playing well in the Premier League then I have a good chance of going to the World Cup. It is a good thing to be here [at Newcastle] in the World Cup year, if we [France] qualify."

"I was happy and I am still happy [at Newcastle]. I just want to try and score goals and play well. It is important I do that because Newcastle is my club and there is a World Cup at the end of the season, which I want to play in. It is very important to be right in my head and I am."

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