HIS body might have been in Africa, but his mind was at least partially trained on Tyneside. Christian Atsu has spent the last month representing Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations, but while Gabon could hardly be more different to Gallowgate, the Newcastle United winger has found it impossible to switch off from domestic concerns.

“There was only one hour difference with the time, so it was fairly easy to keep up with what was happening,” said Atsu, who will be restored to the Newcastle squad for this evening’s televised game at Wolves. “I was mostly watching the live scores on my phone, and then trying to keep up with what was happening before and after the games.

“I remember the QPR game (when Newcastle drew 2-2) – I was really sad and was going crazy when it came through on my phone that they had scored a last-minute equaliser. I felt really sad for the rest of my team. When I saw the last-minute goal, I couldn’t believe it. I was really down.”

Atsu had the same sinking sensation at the end of the Africa Cup of Nations, with Ghana suffering a semi-final defeat at the hands of eventual champions Cameroon.

The 25-year-old, who was also part of the Ghana side that lost in the last four in 2015, was named in the African Confederation of Football’s ‘Team of the Tournament’, having starred as his nation waltzed through the group stage before coming up short as Cameroon beat them 2-0.

He was proud of his own performances on Africa’s biggest footballing stage, but shares a national sense of disappointment at Ghana’s failure to live up to their billing as their continent’s leading light.

“I wasn’t happy with the way the tournament went,” he said. “We have been to the semi-finals six times in a row now, and are really disappointed because we had a team that could have won the African Cup.

“In 2015 it was a similar situation and that was too painful. This time around, we lost to Cameroon in the semi-finals. I am not happy about that, and all Ghanaians are disappointed about what happened. We cannot do anything about it now though – we just have to keep fighting and wait for the future.”

For Atsu, the immediate future is back on Tyneside, where he faces the challenge of transferring his often impressive performances in a Ghana shirt onto the club stage.

For all that he has become a mainstay of his international team, Atsu remains something of a nomad when it comes to domestic football. His current loan at Newcastle is the fifth of his career, and comes some four seasons after he joined his parent club, Chelsea, in a £3.5m move from Porto.

Two years ago, he made just one Premier League start during a season-long spell at Everton, and last season was hardly any better as he struggled at both Bournemouth and Spanish side Malaga.

“It was appalling,” said Atsu, when asked to describe his experiences over the last two seasons. “It was a very difficult time for me. You work hard when you are not playing, but then if you are still not getting into the team it is very frustrating.

“I was at Bournemouth and almost gave up. I had to say to myself, ‘You still have a lot of things to do in football’. I said to myself, ‘I want to settle somewhere and be really serious’.

“I believe in myself, but I almost gave up fighting. I called my agent and asked him to find another club for me elsewhere. I was willing to go to a smaller club or something, just to try to start everything again, but then Newcastle came in for me.”

Atsu has hardly been a first-team regular on Tyneside, but he had featured in seven of Newcastle’s last eight games prior to his departure for Gabon.

Rafael Benitez spent most of last month desperately trying to sign a winger, but his efforts came to nothing when a proposed deal for Andros Townsend fell through on deadline day. Had Townsend signed, Atsu’s chances would have been severely dented. As it is, though, the returning wide man could emerge as a crucial performer in the final three months of the campaign.

“I would love to play more, that is why I am here,” he said. “I have to work hard in training, and have to keep improving. Just getting into the squad is difficult.

“I don’t think I am anywhere near my best yet. I can keep improving. I haven’t played one of my best games for Newcastle yet, and I am working as hard as I can to be able to do that.”

During his month in Africa, Atsu was linked with a possible move to Turkey. Benitez ruled that out quickly, confirming Newcastle have a cast-iron first refusal over a permanent deal with Chelsea provided they win promotion, and Atsu is adamant he had no interest in leaving the Magpies halfway through their promotion push.

“Why would I go to play in Turkey when I want to play in the English Premier League? I want to settle down,” he said. “I heard the rumours, but I wasn’t interested in them. I wasn’t focused on that because I knew I wouldn’t be going to play in Turkey.”

Instead, once Ghana were knocked out of the Cup of Nations, he found himself counting down the days before he was able to fly back to Tyneside. Not, however, that it has all been sweetness and light since he returned.

“It is certainly colder here,” he said with a rueful smile. “Africa is always hot, and Gabon certainly was. Newcastle? It is not really the same. I almost turned around and went straight back to Ghana when I got off the plane because the cold hit me straight away. It’s crazy.”