Tim Krul, then 18, summed his debut up with one word: "unbelievable."

And it was barely believable.

But before that momentous Italian job in a UEFA Cup group-stage game came a gentle walk through the Sicilian capital.

In the late Autumn sunshine, then-manager Glenn Roeder asked teenager Krul if he was ready to start in goal at the Stadio Renza Barbera that night, with Shay Given unavailable through injury and Steve Harper not fit enough to start.

"On the walk in the morning, he [Roeder] just pulled me to one side, and said, 'how are you feeling? Are you ready to start?'," said Krul.

"I remember saying, 'I was ready two weeks ago, so I'm definitely ready now!’

"Against Fenerbahce, Harps had a fitness test, and I thought I was going to play, and I flew all my family in from Holland to be at the game.

"Obviously, Harps had a miraculous recovery. I turned up at the stadium, and the sheet went up. Harps was in the starting XI, even though I had been asked what strip I wanted to play in. That was a big moment for my nerves."

So Krul walked back to the team's hotel knowing he was just hours away from the moment he had been working towards since arriving from Den Haag in the summer 2005.

But what was to come would be anything but a stroll in the park for Krul.

Krul was kept busy - Palermo had 10 shots on target - but the young Dutchman quickly felt "invincible" after making some early saves, and Albert Luque went on to score the only goal of the game.

Roeder embraced a disbelieving Krul on the pitch after the final whistle.

Krul said: "I mentioned 'unbelievable' a few times in the interview afterwards! It was a bit of a dream.

"The nerves were definitely there. But, with me, always in my whole career, when you make a couple of saves, you start to feel invincible.

"I got quite lucky with a couple of 50-50 moments at the start. I kind of got rid of my nerves quickly, because there was no time, at that level, to relax. I just remember it being very intense, but something I would love to do all over again, because that was a special night."

A few days later, Krul, still buzzing from his exploits in Italy, was named on the bench for a League Cup tie away to Watford, and he was quickly brought down to earth during the warm-up.

"I was on the bench in the cup game, and I locked my knee," he said. "That's the highs and lows. I learnt very quickly how quickly football can change."

Krul had a lot to reflect on that Christmas.

By then, he had moved out of the digs in Monkseaton he had been put in following his move from the Netherlands, and he was living in a flat in Jesmond.

With his family back home, he was invited to the upstairs flat for Christmas dinner - by team-mate Pavel Srníček.

Srníček, a mainstay in goal during the 1990s, had returned to the club on a short-term deal that season, and he - along with Given and Harper - were big influences on Krul as he developed at the club.

And the invite for a festive dinner was a gesture that typified Srníček, who tragically passed away in December 2015, aged 47.

"I remember having Christmas dinner with Pavel in Jesmond," said Krul. "That was special.

"He lived upstairs. I had a flat on the bottom, and he had a flat on the top. We ended up sharing the Christmas time together, and when the families weren’t able to come, or we were travelling, I was able to have some proper chats with him.

"That kind of knowledge is invaluable at such a young age, and I appreciate it even more now. It's just so sad that he's not here any more."

Srníček, then 38, trained as if he was still a teenager himself. The professionalism of Given, Harper and Srníček left a lasting impression on Krul.

"He [Srníček] really showed me the standards in training, like Shay, Harps and Tony [Caig]," said Krul.

"The biggest advice he [Srníček] gave me was just how he was training, even at his age then. The preparation, the warm-ups, the dedication to be a high-performer opened my eyes.

"At that point, you’re just young and naïve, and relying on your talent. He definitely pushed me in terms of how you conduct yourself and represent yourself.

"It’s so important in football now, you still need your leaders. I'm very grateful for the advice of such great, great goalkeepers."

While the goalkeeping talent ahead of him at the club at the time could have been seen as a hindrance to his chances of progressing, they were instead a huge help to him - on and off the pitch.

"The level they were at, I had to be at the top of my game every day," said Krul.

Krul had started out in junior football as an outfield player, only to be put in goal because of his height. He was quickly picked up by Den Haag, and his move to North East England followed an impressive tournament for the Netherlands in the 2005 European Under-17 Championships in Italy.

"They invited me for a couple of days to do a training session with the goalie coach, Roy Tonks," he said. "He took me out on the pitch for 10 or 20 minutes, and he said, 'yep, that all adds up to what we've seen on the DVD'."

Krul signed for the club after going for dinner with then-chairman Freddy Shepherd and Graeme Souness, manager at the time.

"I think the plan the club had for me was a three-year plan, and we just decided, in the worst-case scenario, and it doesn't work out, I'd be 20 years old with a bag of experience," he said.

Krul packed his bags for more experience after making his debut - he was loaned out to Falkirk and Carlisle United for first-team football in the following two seasons - and by the 2009/10 campaign, when the club was in the Championship, he was pushing for first-team starts.

"In myself, I wanted it to come a lot earlier," he said. "But I had to be patient. I was in the team and out of the team. Again, I wasn't always agreeing with it, but that shaped me - dealing with the mental task that was ahead."

After making his senior debut for the Netherlands in a fixture away to Brazil in the summer of 2011, Krul was the first-choice goalkeeper in the team, managed by Alan Pardew, which finished fifth in the 2011/12 season.

Krul said: "I said [to Pardew], 'if I can be the number one for Holland, I think I'm ready to be the number one for Newcastle', and he said, 'yeah, the shirt is yours to lose'.

"We went on an 11-game unbeaten run that season where we finished fifth where I enjoyed my football the most. We had some amazing memories that season."

Krul forged a strong bond with the club’s supporters during his long run as number one, having sat with the fans himself after first joining the club.

"I enjoyed that connection, making a save and celebrating with them," he said. "Looking back at some clips now, the fans, and especially the away games where the fans were right behind the goal, you can see the faces, and what it means to them.

"One of the big things was that I was sitting with the fans for the first part before I made my debut.

"I think I've been really privileged to have felt that. I definitely took that kind of passion with me when I was playing."

Krul's Premier League highs included a memorable 5-1 win over Sunderland in 2010, a first win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in 41 years in 2013 and an away success over Tottenham Hotspur in which he made a record 14 saves.

In those years, he was widely-regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the top flight.

Football, however, can be cruel, and Krul's first-team career at United was effectively ended after 185 appearances by a career-threatening injury suffered on international duty in October 2015.

Krul tore his ACL after colliding with team-mate Virgil van Dijk against Kazakhstan - and his next competitive club appearance would come in the colours of loan team AZ Alkmaar 16 months later.

Krul found that he was not in then-manager Rafa Benítez's plans when he returned to Tyneside.

"You forget how, in one day, things can look a lot different," said Krul.

"When you're playing every three or four days, and going to play for your country - that’s always the pinnacle for any player - and then to be out for more than a year was tough.

"I worked so hard to then get back, but things then changed, managerial changes. Unfortunately, that then came to an end, and not in the way I wanted. That's how life is sometimes.

"That's why I was even more grateful to get back to the level, and play in the away goal a couple of times, and actually get to the goodbyes that I had prayed for. Plus, obviously I didn't go through the front door [upon leaving United]."

Krul had quietly left through the back door after a spell training at the academy, but he got a noisy reception when he returned through the players' entrance as an opponent with Brighton & Hove Albion, Norwich City and Luton Town.

The familiar chant of "Timmy, Timmy Krul" rang round St. James' Park each time Krul - who twice won the Championship with Norwich - ran out to warm up.

Asked what that meant to him, Krul said: "Massive, massive. That feeling of walking out at St. James' is special. It's up there with the most special stadiums.

"When you come back, you're doing the warm-up in front of the Leazes, and it's just that feeling of hearing the same songs in the same stadium. It just brings back so many memories."

Krul retired from football last year, two decades after arriving in England.

"Ultimately, I've been very privileged to make the decision myself," he said. "With other people, the decision has been made for them through injury or a contract not being there.

"For some reason, I had this dream of playing for 20 years. That was a bold dream, so when I reached that, I was really content to look in the mirror and say, 'you know what, I'm really happy with what I've been able to achieve, and I'm ready for the next step'."

Before he hung up his gloves, Krul enrolled himself in the PFA Business School to study for a postgraduate diploma in Global Football Sport Directorship.

Krul's voice is no longer heard on the pitch, but he feels that it is important that the voices of former players are heard where decisions are made.

"The PFA gave me this opportunity to start studying and widening my knowledge and my mindset," said Krul, also on the PFA’s Players' Board. "This diploma came up, and I ended up adding another year to it to complete the masters this summer.

"I feel so privileged, and football has given me so much, I just want to share that expertise to make and build something off the field and make the game better. That's where I get my energy from at the moment. More now than ever, you need the right voices where the decisions are being made."

Krul has also been working in broadcasting, and his TV work has taken him to major finals - and the World Cup.

"I went to the Europa League final, the Champions League final and the Dutch game [at the World Cup]," he said. "Football's my life, and I love being part of it."

Krul was also at another major final two years ago. He saw United, the team he had represented for more than a decade, lift the Carabao Cup at Wembley.

"Again, being able to walk with them [the fans], the Wembley walk, and seeing how much it meant to them, the players and staff afterwards at the Boxpark was special," he said.

"It was a shame I was never able to lift it myself when I was there."

Krul left the North East nine years ago - but the region has not left him.

"My wife is from Northumberland," he said. "My daughter was born in Newcastle. That connection will always be there. Rightly so, it was a big part of my career.

"And that half Dutch, half Geordie accent is always going to be there too!"