“But yeah, it’ll be a big year for me this year. I’ve got a lot of goals I want to achieve.

“The main way for me to do that is to be on the field. If I get the opportunity to do that in Newcastle, that suits me a bit more.

“I think with the playing style and the players I’ve played with in Newcastle, maybe that suits me a little bit more as well. So, yeah, just looking forward to that. I did really enjoy my time here.”

Young was worshipped by Newcastle fans for his prolific 2023 campaign, which culminated in him scoring a double against Canberra in a home play-off, as a sold-out crowd of 29,548 went ballistic.

“That roar [after his tries], it was pretty cool,” Young recalled. “But, yeah, I’ve always appreciated the love and the support from the fans since I got here.

“It’s always been something that’s stuck with me. Even during my time at the Roosters, I still hear from a lot of Knights fans. So it’s always been a special place.

“It’s always kind of the first place, my first NRL team there. And I know it’s always going to hold that place in my heart.”

Young admitted it was “a weird one” preparing to play against the Knights, knowing that within days they would again be his teammates.

“It was important for me to kind of finish on a high and get the win,” he said. “Yeah, I definitely wanted the two points.”

Young might not have signed off with a trademark try, but his Roosters swansong was a solid performance, making 164 attacking metres from 15 carries, though Newcastle did score their try down his edge.

“Every time I put the Roosters jersey on, I’m going to give it my all,” he said.

“That’s what I’ve done ever since I’ve joined here. So, yeah, it was important for me to put my best foot forward, regardless of everything going on outside. And I thought I did that and got the win.”

While Young’s release has not been publicly confirmed, Roosters coach Trent Robinson said: “It’s pretty clear he’s going to be up here [in Newcastle] on Monday”.

Knights coach Adam O’Brien said Young would “absolutely” be welcomed back, by both his former teammates and supporters.

“We didn’t want him to leave in the first place,” O’Brien said.

“Maybe next week you’re talking about maybe selecting him. He’s available for selection.”

Veteran centre Dane Gagai is expected to renew his previously lethal partnership with Young.

“If he comes here, like ‘Adsy’ [O’Brien] said, we’ll welcome him with open arms,” Gagai said.

“But we just need to get back to winning footy games, whether it’s pretty or not.”

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Young’s return will certainly add some much-needed firepower to Newcastle’s attack, which has delivered only 34 tries in 14 games this season – the fewest in the NRL.

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