'I want to say thank you' - Isaac Hayden sends emotional farewell message to Newcastle United fans

The ecstasy of a Championship title on the final day, the torture of agonising relegation fights, requests to leave the north east, opting to stay after all, managerial departures and seismic ownership changes. Isaac Hayden has seen it all during his six-year stint at Newcastle United.

Next season the 27-year-old will be tasked with leading Dean Smith's Norwich City back to the top flight; a challenge he is already relishing. His Magpies exit was expected this summer but has still affected fans who have always had a soft spot for the honest midfielder.

Newcastle are on the cusp of an unprecedented new era with this summer expected to be the busiest and most exciting in recent memory. For Hayden, it feels like the right time to move on and experience a new challenge.

"I've had fantastic memories at the club," he told Chronicle Live. "Ups and downs throughout it obviously but overall it was a fantastic six years. I've made memories that will last a lifetime for me but it was definitely time in my career to take a different path.

"Football is all about timing and it's time for me to move on and experience a new challenge. The opportunity to go to a club like Norwich with a great structure and a sporting director that I know well in Stuart Webber, once I heard they were interested it was an easy deal to make."

Knee surgery in December meant Hayden spent most of the last six months on the sidelines and was unable to fight for one of Eddie Howe's three midfield spots in the second-half of the season. It was a different story under Steve Bruce and Rafa Benitez, however, when the former Arsenal youngster was an ever-present figure on Tyneside.

Despite regular minutes and backing from fans, Hayden's desire to leave the club back