Mimi sums it pretty much up in her posts:
http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,70504.msg2889277.html#msg2889277
http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,70504.msg2889359.html#msg2889359
Just add to that: He says a little more about De Jong in that he finds it silly that it wasn't even a foul at the time. And that if he wasn't punished in the aftermath then he has no incentive to not do it again.
That being a #10 is his preferred position but it carries more responsibilities, he's often been asked by coaches to play on either wing and has adapted.
Since the injury happened: it was a shock, a brutal stoppage. He had to look ahead and even consider what his life would be like if his career had ended, and when his career will end.
He was able to live a little more discretely being out of the spotlight, got closer to friends and family and gave him a chance to travel too. He feels it has done a lot of good, and only time will tell, but a lot of good might come from it.