Mo Diame curled home a stunner in last season’s play-off final for Hull City, but Newcastle are yet to witness any of that talent first hand.
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has revealed to the Chronicle that he dropped under-performing midfielder Mo Diame against Brentford because he needed a rest following his international exertions.
The Senegalese international is yet to justify his £4.5 million signing from Hull City this summer, according to Sky Sports, and Benitez’s decision to start Ayoze Perez (below) in the number 10 role in Saturday’s 3-1 win raised suspicions that Diame had paid the price for his poor form.
However, the former Liverpool manager has now attributed his decision to the fact that Diame only returned from international duty on Thursday.
“Players coming back from internationals are always a problem,” Benitez (below) told the Chronicle.
“So if you have players here with you working all week during the international break, like Ayoze, it makes it easier for you to prepare for the game.
“We still had players coming back from international duty on Wednesday and Thursday so it’s important you have players with fresh legs who can come in and make things easier for you.”
Benitez admitted that Diame could return for Tuesday night’s trip to Barnsley as he brings ‘balance’ to the midfield in away fixtures.
However, Newcastle will be expecting a much more substantial contribution from one of their marquee summer signings in the coming months, with Diame’s natural athleticism and underrated technical ability marking him out as one of the most talented players in the second tier.
Luckily for the promotion favourites, the likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Yoan Gouffran and Matt Ritchie have stepped up in recent weeks, meaning Diame’s poor for has not hampered Newcastle to a dramatic degree.
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