The Premier League hero made the switch from Newcastle United to Fulham and admits he was so thankful his Magpies manager let him depart

Newcastle United face Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon - a game which Aleksandar Mitrovic may be keeping a closer eye on, having played for both teams.

The striker was a big personality on the pitch. He moved to England in 2015, with the Magpies paying a fee of around £13million to snap him up from Belgian side Anderlecht. In his two-and-a-half years at St James' Park, he played 72 times, scoring 17 goals and providing 10 assists.

He moved to Fulham two-and-a-half years after arriving in England. But the striker has since admitted that he found it difficult in the North East, with the fan base's passion one of the reasons.

Speaking to BBC Sport in October 2018 about his time at Newcastle, he said: "It was really hard in Newcastle. It was one city, one club. Everybody there was really crazy about Newcastle.

"Sometimes it is nice, but sometimes you want to be quiet and go out with your family. When you are not happy on the field, you just don't want to think about football, [you want to] have your space. In Newcastle, there is no chance."

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Six months earlier, he revealed to The Sun that he was thankful that then-Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez had sanctioned a deadline-day move to Fulham.

On his relationship with the Spaniard, he said: "Benitez is a good person but in the formation he played, I didn't feel good with his tactics.

"Tactically and defensively, he is one of the best coaches I've seen, but offensively it wasn't a style that was good for me. I respected his decisions, I didn't make a problem, I am thankful he let me go and I wish Newcastle all the best."

The move to Fulham, initially on loan, was a last-minute January deadline-day deal after a move back to Anderlecht fell through. Fulham beat then Championship rivals Middlesbrough to the signing.

"It was so stressful, a nightmare, but I'm so happy God helped me finish up here [Fulham]," he said. "Fulham have been playing great football for two years and it's a very big deal in the Championship to play this style and be without defeat for so long. Fulham didn't give up in the last hour of the transfer window, so I want to win them promotion to the Premier League."

Mitrovic did just that and helped Fulham to win the Championship play-offs that season, scoring 12 goals in 17 league appearances as the Cottagers finished in third place. His move was made permanent that summer.

The Serb played a total of 206 times for Fulham, scoring 111 goals before completing a move to Al-Hilal in 2023. He is now 32 years old and playing for Qatari side Al-Rayyan. Just under eight years after Mitrovic made the switch, two of his former sides are in Premier League action against each other on Saturday afternoon.