Mohamed Diame becoming a fan favourite in Newcastle United’s Premier League turn around

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It has gone under the radar and received little publicity in the national press, but the turnaround of Mohamed Diame’s season has been sensational to watch.

The Senegalese international has been a regular for Newcastle United since their return to the Premier League and is often picked ahead of Mikel Merino and Jonjo Shelvey, both of whom are well liked by supporters.

That cannot be said of Diame, at least until very recently.

During the team’s nine-match losing run towards the end of 2017, the midfielder was a regular starter and was a main target for the fans’ anger.

Against Everton, he was booed off the pitch after being substituted and at that time, it became difficult to see a future for him in the team.

He was offering little and his languid running style made him appear lazy.

This was a player that had once been very good in the top-flight, but two seasons in the second tier had taken its toll.

The judgement was that he was no longer good enough to compete in the Premier League.

Despite arriving as an established Premier League player, Diame had struggled to make a good impression on the Newcastle supporters during his first season with the club.

It had been anticipated that he would stand out as one of the best players in the Championship and dominate matches from midfield.

However, he was in and out of the team, ultimately failing to become a regular fixture in the starting eleven.

The year prior to joining Newcastle, he had helped Hull City to promotion and his experience was a key reason why he was targeted by Rafa Benitez.

During the 2015/16 season, he contributed ten goals and four assists as the Tigers went straight back up to the top-flight.

It was a goal from range in the play-off final from the midfielder that clinched promotion and it was regarded a coup that the Magpies managed to sign him the following summer.

Diame clearly thought the long-term future at St James’ Park was brighter than the one on Humberside and nearly two years’ on, that has been confirmed.

Newcastle are now back in the Premier League, while Hull are fighting against relegation in the Championship.

Although he had to give up on a year of Premier League football, the Senegalese international is now benefiting from the decision.

It was thought that Diame would provide drive to the midfield and be able to contribute goals and assists.

During the Championship-winning season, the midfielder got only three goals and three assists.

He was predominantly played as a number ten with attacking license, so his poor return in the final third was somewhat a surprise, especially coming off the back of a great campaign in the same division.

There were some calls from supporters to sell the midfielder during the summer and if Benitez had been given a larger budget to spend, it may have led to the departure of Diame.

Due to his lack of impact in the Championship, there were doubts as to whether he could offer much at all in the Premier League.

Although his contributions on the ball weren’t great, the 30-year-old is a hard-working player and that goes a long way with his manager.

The Magpies’ boss knew that the former Hull City player was someone that he could rely on and that was a reason why he was kept for the current campaign.

Since the beginning of this season, Diame has featured prominently, but it was not until recently that he was a regular in the first eleven.

He has played 20 times for Newcastle in the Premier League and 12 of those appearances have come as a starter.

The midfielder made his first league start of the season against Burnley in October and this marked the start of an atrocious run for the Magpies.

They went on to take only one point from a possible 27 and Diame played in six of those matches, including starting against Watford and Everton.

These were regarded as two of the worst performance of the season and the 30-year-old was scapegoated as a result of coming into the team at the wrong time.

He will be the first to admit that he wasn’t at his best, but he wasn’t the only player at fault.

When he was substituted in the match against Everton, he was booed off by his own supporters and it became difficult to see a way back for him at St James’ Park.

However, his manager never lost faith in him and he was given the start against West Ham United days before Christmas.

Newcastle desperately needed a win, but few supporters expected one.

Diame was excellent at the London Stadium as he completed five ball recoveries and scored the second Magpies’ goal with a lovely finish.

That performance kickstarted the midfielder’s season and he has started seven of the eight Premier League matches since.

He has become one of the first names on Benitez’s team-sheet and few would have expected that after the Everton game.

During this spell, he has scored twice and consistently performed to a high level.

In the most recent match against Manchester United, Diame dominated the midfield area alongside Jonjo Shelvey.

The former made six ball recoveries, while his midfield partner made the same number.

However, the 30-year-old was as effective on the ball as he was off it, as shown by his three key passes during the match.

That was more than any other player on the pitch.

The resurgence of Diame at Newcastle has been mind-blowing and one of the key reasons for the turnaround has been Benitez moving him back into central midfield.

For the first 12-months of his Magpies’ career, he was played in a number ten role and the game often passed him by.

Now, he is in the thick of the action and thriving with the increased responsibility.

If he is able to continue his good form and help Newcastle retain their Premier League status, he will become a favourite on the terraces.

That seemed impossible two months ago.