When it comes to Newcastle United in the 2010s, the list of ‘What If’ footballers on the club’s books at one point or another was truly something to behold.

From genuinely phenomenal talent like Hatem Ben Arfa, to a future World Cup winner in Florian Thuavin, some players just never got to live up to the hype and expectations.

Rolando Aarons was a prime example of one those players: once a rising England star, he’s endured an unfortunate fall down the footballing pyramid amidst injuries, a lack of form and off-the-pitch issues.

Still only 29-years-old however, the winger will be looking to impress in the National League this season after stints in the Serie A, the Scottish Premiership and even the Slovenian first division…

Aarons makes move to Morecambe

National League side Morecambe FC confirmed on Monday that they had signed Aarons on a free transfer, commencing his first stint in the National League in his career.

After spending time as both a trialist for Georgian side Dinamo Tbilisi and a staple of the PFA pre-season campaign over the summer, the Jamaican international is a big coup for the Shrimps.

Head Coach Ashvir Singh Johal expressed his excitement over the transfer, commenting “I’m delighted that Rolando has chosen to join us, he’s a winger who we identified early on and we’re pleased we managed to get it done as there was a lot of competition for his signature.”

It’s still early days in the National League season, but Aarons and Morecambe face an uphill battle to survive this season, currently sat in 22nd out of 24 teams, though with at least two games in hand on all the teams around them.

What happened to Rolando Aarons?

After the mixed 2013-14 season on Tyneside, Aarons emerged as a breath of fresh air early on in the subsequent campaign, netting his first senior goal against Crystal Palace at just 19-years-old.

But not long after, a pair of hamstring injuries blighted his blossoming career, which derailed any hopes he had of progressing within the England youth set up.

There were signs of hope when he netted the opener in a notable 2-0 win away to Manchester City in the League Cup, but Aarons unfortunately failed to build much more momentum.

A series of loan spells, starting with Hellas Verona in Italy followed by moves to the Czech Republic, into the EFL and eventually north of the border to Scotland, culminated in Aarons signing permanently for Huddersfield Town in 2021.

Now gifted the no.99 shirt at Morecambe, here’s hoping that Aarons can finally deliver on his once promising potential. He hasn’t played for the Jamaican National Team since 2022, but with Steve McClaren’s side in a strong position to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, there remains a glimmer of hope that Aarons can feature next summer in some capacity for his country.