Florian Thauvin could expose Newcastle mistake this summer

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Ex-Newcastle United man Florian Thauvin is blowing people away in France. If he does the same in Russia this summer, it could be awkward for the Magpies.

Ask a Newcastle United fan about Florian Thauvin and you’re unlikely to receive glowing feedback.

The 25-year-old joined Newcastle for £12 million in 2015 but struggled to make an impact in the Premier League, failing to score or set up a goal in 13 top-flight games, and was loaned back to Marseille six months later.

Fast forward two years and the French attacker is still at Marseille and proving that, in spite of his Magpies stint, he is actually quite brilliant, scoring 15 goals and providing 10 assists for the Ligue 1 giants this season.

On this form, it’s very likely that Thauvin – who has six goals in his last four games for Marseille – will be included in Didier Deschamps’s France squad for the World Cup and impressing in Russia might be a tad embarrassing for the Magpies.

You have to wonder whether his failure in England was linked to not being good enough for the Premier League, or whether he simply needed more time to acclimatise to the division and fans of the North-East club could be forgiven for thinking it’s the latter.

After all, he is outshining a certain Dimitri Payet at Marseille, the former West Ham man who was nominated for Player of Year during the 2015-16 season.

And it’s worth asking whether Thauvin might have flourished on Tyneside eventually had he and Newcastle tried a little harder to make it work and not called time on the investment after six months.

Dropping down into the Championship might have made it hard to keep him regardless, but maybe he would have prospered under a man-manager like Rafael Benitez – who replaced Steve McClaren two months after the latter sanctioned Thauvin’s loan – and maybe, just maybe, the Frenchman could have helped steer the team away from danger that year.

There are plenty of ifs and buts, though he is looking like a gem and what can’t be debated is that it wouldn’t be a great look for the St James’s Park club if he dazzles at the World Cup. On the evidence of this season, he just might.