MO DIAME is confident Newcastle United’s players will be able to shut out any outside distractions when they look to get their season back on track with a win over West Ham United this afternoon.

The Magpies return to action amid an increasingly febrile atmosphere that has accompanied their difficult start to the campaign.

Back-to-back league defeats against Tottenham and Huddersfield were compounded by Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup exit to Nottingham Forest, with speculation over Rafael Benitez’s future only adding to the sense of upheaval.

Benitez has been at loggerheads with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley for the majority of the summer, and continues to feel frustrated at his employers’ failure to land a number of his leading targets in the early weeks of the transfer window.

It is now less than a week until the window swings shut, but there is still a large degree of uncertainty about what Newcastle’s squad will look like come September 1.

Benitez would like to make three or four more additions, but that will be difficult if he is unable to move out a number of fringe players who do not have a first-team future at St James’ Park.

The uncertainty is hardly healthy, but Diame does not expect it to be a factor this afternoon. West Ham have also lost their opening two league games, and the Magpies midfielder is adamant nothing will distract his team-mates as they look to get their first points on the board.

“We will not allow anything happening in the background to distract us,” said Diame, who started Wednesday’s League Cup defeat after appearing as a second-half substitute in last weekend’s defeat at Huddersfield. “When we are out there on the pitch, it is all about football and winning the game.

“Nothing else matters. If some stuff happens outside, it can maybe affect us in – how can I say it – our preparations for the game, but as soon as you step on the pitch, you are playing football, trying to score goals and win games. That is it.”

In an ideal world, Benitez would like to have completed his transfer business weeks before the final few days of the window.

That did not happen, so the Magpies manager is braced for a busy week as he looks to move out the likes of Siem de Jong, Emmanuel Riviere, Achraf Lazaar, Henri Saivet and Tim Krul in order to create space in his squad for further additions.

He is especially keen to sign an attacking midfielder, with Chelsea youngster Kenedy having been lined up for a loan move, but Diame feels it would be wrong to pin all of his club’s hopes on the possibility of new signings.

The majority of the current squad helped Newcastle win the Championship title last season, and their qualities should not be forgotten amidst a clamour for further additions.

“We are always hearing a lot of people saying we need new signings and more strength in the squad,” said Diame. “But at the moment, this is what we’ve got.

“I believe we have enough quality, but now we need to fight for it, show character and carry the responsibility ourselves. No one said it was going to be easy.”

Things will become even more difficult if Newcastle do not get a positive result this afternoon, but while West Ham have also suffered two league defeats from two, Slaven Bilic’s side have shown signs of life in their last two outings.

They were within a minute of claiming a point against Southampton last weekend, despite having trailed 2-0 at one stage and been reduced to ten men, and claimed a morale-boosting midweek League Cup win at Cheltenham.

Javier Hernandez’s two goals against Southampton confirmed his goalscoring instincts remain as well-honed as ever, and Newcastle will have to keep close tabs on the Mexican this afternoon.

Provided they do that, they should get chances at the other end, although their attacking players will have to be much more clinical than they were against either Huddersfield or Nottingham Forest.

“West Ham is a big game for us,” admitted Diame, who made 71 senior appearances for West Ham between 2012 and 2014. “It has become massively important after the start we have had.

“We are just looking for that first win, that’s it really. We’re working hard to get it because we need some points as soon as possible.

“We know what is at stake, but of course we still feel positive. This is still only the beginning of the season. Of course, we all play football to win games and, when we are not winning, you lose a bit of confidence.

“But we keep on working, stay focused, and try to do what the manager wants from us and always try to give our best. Hopefully, the game against West Ham will bring us our first win.”

Diame’s future has been the subject of some conjecture in the last few weeks, with the midfielder having failed to make the starting line-up for the opening two league games.

He has previously been linked with a possible move to France, but insists he is not thinking about anything other than helping Newcastle achieve Premier League safety in the next nine months.

“I am going to fight all I can to be in the (starting) XI most of the time, and to win games,” he said. “I’m here, so that’s it. I will always fight for this club.”