Danny Rose on verge of tears admitting he had to ignore all football for months

Ex-Tottenham and Newcastle defender Danny Rose has revealed how he avoided all football after leaving Watford at the start of the season, but says he is rediscovering his love of the game

Mark Whiley Sports Reporter

17:41, 23 Apr 2023Updated 18:27, 23 Apr 2023

Danny Rose left Watford at the start of the season(Image: Getty Images)

An emotional Danny Rose admitted attending Newcastle’s 6-1 destruction of Tottenham has made him fall back in love with football.

Rose has been without a club since quitting Watford in September after failing to appear in any of the Championship club’s early games of the season. The former Spurs full-back, who has spoken openly about his battle with depression, then decided to avoid football completely and even made a conscious decision not to watch the World Cup.

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However, the football bug seems to be returning for the 32-year-old, who has recently been training with National League side York City. And his passion for the game was rekindled further during his appearance as a pundit for his old club’s visit to St James' Park.

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Rose pulled no punches as he assessed Spurs’ woeful performance, which saw them five down after just 21 minutes. He even joked, ‘how am I unemployed?, at one point. He also spoke with glowing positivity about how the atmosphere generated by more than 50,000 Newcastle fans made him feel.

“It’s no secret that I’ve been away from football,” he began. “I’ve deliberately not watched any football, I didn’t watch the World Cup.

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Danny Rose was a pundit for Newcastle's 6-1 trouncing of former club Tottenham(Image: Sky Sports)

“It was only until the other night, I watched City in the Champions League. Watching it, listening to the music, I thought, ‘OK, I miss it’.

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“I haven’t been in this stadium for a long time. The feeling of, you know… I love football. It’s a lot to do with the atmosphere. Just seeing how they played football, that feeling after the three points, it’s just re-ignited some feelings within myself.”

Danny Rose was close to tears as he opened up about his break from football(Image: Sky Sports)

Many fans took to social media to praise the former England defender’s honesty. One said: “Damn, looks like he’s about to cry.”

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Another added: “I know Danny Rose is wearing rascal gear but I can see the hurt in that man’s eyes. He’s struggled with depression before & clearly finds it hard to be involved in the sport. What he just said was a man being honest & open. Big up that man!”

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A third commented: “Loved Danny Rose as a pundit today. Very honest.”

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