With no starts and training ground issues, it may be time for Newcastle to offload Mohamed Diame

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Newcastle United midfielder Mohamed Diame may be fighting for his future.

Newcastle United’s recent form has been impressive, but their international break has brought up one topic of controversy – the bust-up between captain Jamaal Lascelles and midfielder Mohamed Diame.

The Magpies went into the international break off the back of a 1-1 home draw with Liverpool, meaning they have dropped just five points in their last five Premier League games.

Rafael Benitez will be keen to keep that on-field form going, but off the field, he may not be too enthused by the row between Lascelles and Diame ahead of this weekend’s game at Southampton.

As reported by The Chronicle, Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles repeatedly called midfielder Mohamed Diame ‘lazy’ during a training session, and that culminated in a bust-up between the two players.

Now, that may just be a scuffle in the heat of the moment; they have happened in training before, and will happen again, and Benitez may in fact be glad to see such passion from his players. The flip side of it is that Diame is offering little on or off the field right now, and if either of the players involved are to leave, then it certainly wouldn’t be Lascelles, who has just signed a new six-year contract.

Diame, 30, was a major signing for Newcastle following their relegation to the Championship in 2016, signing from Hull City after nine goals in 38 league games – but the Senegal international has been something of a disappointment.

Diame scored just three league goals last season, and hasn’t made a single Premier League start this term, despite Newcastle’s shaky displays going forward and Ayoze Perez’s lack of impact from Diame’s preferred No. 10 role.

Ahead of the January transfer window, Diame’s future appears to be up in the air. He may not be sold solely for the training ground bust-up, but it’s just another thing to add to the list against him, with Benitez unlikely to be to keen on keeping players who aren’t contributing on or off the field.

Championship or even lower Premier League clubs may be keen on Diame, but he certainly appears to be fighting for his Newcastle future after a miserable start to the 2017/18 campaign.