Mohamed Diame reflects on his ups and downs at Newcastle ahead of his return to Hull

The midfielder – who will face his former club Hull City at the KCOM Stadium tonight in Newcastle United’s second pre-season friendly – felt that he had a “slow” start last term.

The 31-year-old said: “I started slowly, and not in the way I wanted to start, but I finished well and I’m happy with that. Now I need to continue.”

Diame had been determined to prove himself at the club after a difficult first year at St James’s Park.

“It was a target for me,” said Diame. “I know that in the Championship that I didn’t deliver as I wanted to. I wasn’t in the starting XI at the begining, but I kept working and tried to win my start.

“It was a good achievement. We are proud of that, but now is a new season. We need to forget this one.”

Diame joined relegated Newcastle from promoted Hull two years ago. The 31-year-old had scored the goal that had taken Hull back into the Premier League.

“You always want to do well when you play a team you’ve played for before,” said Diame. “You want to show that you’re still good, you’re still feeling good, after leaving the club.

“But, of course, there’s always respect. You see the fans who were there and enjoy a moment with them.”

On his Wembley goal against Sheffield Wednesday, Diame told NUFC TV: “It was a great moment, one of the best of my career.”