Wijnaldum made shrewd move to join Newcastle- Zenden

Georginio Wijnaldum is rated "very highly" by Bolo
Zenden, who thinks the midfielder made a wise move
by joining Newcastle United.
Bolo Zenden believes Georginio Wijnaldum made a "clever
choice" by joining Newcastle United and would not be surprised
if the midfielder attracts interest from rival clubs on current
form.
Only Michael Owen and Alan Shearer cost Newcastle more than
the fee - reported to be £14.5million - paid for the Dutch player
of the year when he arrived on Tyneside from PSV in July.
Netherlands international Wijnaldum has hit the ground running
in England, scoring six goals in his first nine Premier League
games - including four in the 6-2 hammering of Norwich City
last weekend.

Former Sunderland midfielder Zenden, who was on the coaching
staff at PSV last season and has held talks over a return to the
Eredivisie champions, thinks Wijnaldum is reaping the rewards
of not leaving his homeland before he was ready.

And Zenden thinks the 24-year-old could be in demand if he can
maintain the high standards he has set in his short time at St
James' Park ahead of Sunday's derby against Sunderland.

He told Omnisport: "I rate him very highly, because he's a player
who didn't move from Holland at an early age. He stuck around
to be more important, to become captain of PSV, to become a
leader on and off the pitch and settle down.

"He worked hard on and off the pitch and works as a
professional should do and that's why I really enjoyed the fact
that he scored four goals (against Norwich). He's a clever
player and I was happy for him."

The ex-Barcelona, Liverpool and Chelsea man added: "I think he
made a clever choice. Sometimes you make a certain step and
it's the wrong one, but I guess at Newcastle he can work at his
best and who says that Newcastle is his final destination.

"If he continues to work at his best he may choose to stay at
Newcastle, or some other big club may come along and he
could decide to move on.

"It's always good to see when a player finds his feet quickly and
maybe that's got something to do with the fact the he opted to
stay in Holland and be a bit more mature before moving on."