Knocked out of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations by eventual winners Cameroon in the quarter-final, Newcastle’s Mohamed Diamé feels it might be time to call it a day on an international level.
The 29-year-old, who has amassed 36 caps since his debut in 2011, only played one game during the competition, a 2-2 draw against Algeria once his country had already qualified for the knockout stages.
He said: “I’ll decide before the March games. I’m currently discussing it with my relatives to make the right decision and we’ll see, but there’s a good chance I’ll retire. It’s simply because I think the team is on a good trajectory.
“It’s a personal decision. With the qualifiers, I don’t want to start something and not finish it. I don’t want to end up ditching the team halfway through the qualification process.”
A key-member of Rafa Benitez’s side at Newcastle, Diamé perhaps hasn’t scored or assisted as many as anticipated when he transferred from Hull to St James’ Park, but he appears to maintain the Spaniard’s trust.
The (seemingly) soon-to-be ex-Senegal international has made 29 appearances for Newcastle this season in all competitions, picking up five goals and two assists along the way.
