Paul Dummett lifts lid on Newcastle United exit after turning down 'big offers'

Paul Dummett has insisted he remains as hungry now as he was when he played for Newcastle United's youth team.

The Geordie defender has signed for League One Wigan Athletic and is hoping to win a long-term contract with the Latics after signing on until January. Incredibly, Dummett's last start before he made his debut bow for Wigan was in the 3-0 win over Manchester United for Newcastle in the Carabao Cup.

It is understood that Dummett turned down bigger offers to play for relegation-threatened Wigan but he is confident he can help steer the Latics to a promotion play-off push. Dummett told Chronicle Live: "I am 33-years-old now but I know I have a lot of years ahead of me. I don't feel anywhere close to slowing down.

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"I know that I still have a lot to offer. It's why I wanted to find the right club. I feel like a young player again in the way that I have to prove myself again and I have no problem with that. When you go to a new club, even though you have played so many times at the top level, you feel like you have to prove yourself again.

"I know that I am now playing for another contract or if Wigan don't keep me I am playing to try to get a new club. I am going there with that ambition to help Wigan and have that same ambition to prove myself."

Dummett had been training with Newcastle reserves but he will find himself in the heat of the battle at Barnsley at the weekend in League One. And it is a challenge he is already relishing, he said: "I want to carry on playing at the highest level I can now for as long as I can. That is the challenge.

"It's a chance for me and Wigan to show that. We know putting a few wins together can change the look of the table. I have had a taste of the EFL from playing in the Championship before. The games are different to the Premier League but it is still really tough.

"No matter what level you play is going to be hard. If it was easy everybody would do it. It is a different level of difficulty but one that I am looking forward to. It is similar to working with the young players at Newcastle.

"Wigan too have a young squad so I can help them. I am not a massively vocal person but I will contribute to things. That will hopefully show with my performances, my training levels, habits and all that stuff which people can learn from me on a daily basis."

Despite swapping the Premier League and rubbing shoulders with global superstars for the terraces of the EFL and facing up and coming youngsters, Dummett has plenty of respect for Wigan - not least because they lifted a trophy more recently that Newcastle back in 2013 when they beat Man City to win the FA Cup.

Dummett said: "There's a lot of pictures around the training ground and stadium of when they won the FA Cup. When you first walk in you know there is some history there. It is a sporting town, they have the rugby league and the football but around the place there are a lot of other teams around. There is a sporting community there already and I want to enjoy it. I just want to enjoy playing games again which I have missed for so long."

And Dummett spoke passionately about how it is impossible to replicate regular first-team action for any professional, adding: "I made my debut as sub against Wycombe then started against Forest in the EFL Trophy. So it was good to be back on the pitch.

"It was actually my first start since last November when Newcastle beat Manchester United 3-0 in the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford. I played 60 minutes and it was just a case of feeling my way in, and now getting games under my belt.

"It is a good feeling to get back on the pitch, I have trained for so long without games at the weekend. You want to have that feeling of knowing you have games at the end of the week. Hopefully, I can get that winning feeling again. When I was in the Newcastle squad we won a lot of games.

"Even when you don't play you still feel good. I want to get back to both, playing and winning - contributing a lot each game to help the team win."

Wigan boss Shaun Maloney, the former Celtic and Aston Villa star, said: "I'm delighted to have him here. It was a big choice for him, he turned down more money elsewhere to come in. He only had one session with us before Saturday, but he's exactly what we need in the group."