Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez says Mohamed Diame was not included in the starting line up against Brentford at the weekend because of his later return from the international break.
The Senegalese international played an hour against Cape Verde in a World Cup qualifier the previous Saturday but then flew back to Tyneside, and the Magpies boss told the Shields Gazette that he wanted to start Ayoze Perez instead because he been able to prepare all week for the match in training:
“Players coming back from internationals are always a problem. 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 had players coming back Wednesday and Thursday, so it’s important you have players with fresh legs who can come in and make things easier for you.”
Whether Diame will get his place back in the next match against Barnsley at Oakwell tomorrow night is open to debate though. The midfielder has freely admitted himself he has not lived up to his own expectations after his arrival from Hull City for £4.5million in the summer. He has so far made ten appearances in a Newcastle shirt, but has just one assist to his name, and no goals.
