Newcastle United midfielder Mohamed Diame has revealed he was sidelined by a broken foot bone as he confirms he is back and on the way to full fitness.
The experienced central star had missed over a month’s worth of games for the Magpies, firstly due to a muscular injury before seeing himself ruled out after a training ground incident.
He revealed he had made a swift comeback from the first issue but suffered an unfortunate blow, but after appearing as a substitute against Wolves and playing 45 minutes in the friendly versus CSKA Moscow has insisted his recovery is nearly complete.
He told the Shields Gazette: “I had a crack on my bone in my fifth metatarsal.
“The Man United game was just my groin, but I was fine after two or three days. At the training during the week, I received a kick on my foot and I had a crack on the bone.
“Now I’m back, and I hope I will help the team. I will give everything to help the team and make sure we get our target as soon as possible.”
Opinion
There was radio silence over what was exactly keeping Diame out of the side, with many likely thinking that it was just a setback in terms of his muscular injury. A broken bone seems a little more serious and it is no wonder that manager Rafael Benitez has been careful not to rush his star man back too soon. It is quite easy to suffer a recurrence of a broken bone if you return early from your recovery process, especially when you are using that bone in your foot to kick the ball on a regular basis, and so it has to be managed carefully. It seems as though the player is confident he is fine and the fact he managed to get a couple of minutes at Molineux suggests the medical staff are happy for him to return to playing. Will he get a shot in the starting XI against Huddersfield? It would be harsh to drop Isaac Hayden or Sean Longstaff – but his experience could be invaluable.