Mo Diame insists Newcastle United will head to AFC Bournemouth this weekend determined to secure another morale-boosting victory.

The Magpies lifted themselves to 13th in the Premier League table with an uplifting 1-0 win over second-placed Manchester United earlier this month.

However, Rafa Benitez’s men remain embroiled in a relegation battle - with 11 sides, including 10th-placed Bournemouth, still susceptible to the drop - given that the Magpies are just two points above third-bottom Southampton.

As a result, in-form midfielder Diame knows Newcastle must not merely celebrate their impressive win over Man United - they must also channel the confidence gained from that victory into securing a positive result on the south coast on Saturday.

(Image: Newcastle United)

“We need to keep working to stay focused because it is going to be a big fight until the end,” the 30-year-old explained.

“With this result we go there confident. Every game we play we are going there to win. It doesn’t matter who we play against, we need to keep our shape and the way we are working hard in training and in the game.

“The win over Man United gives us a lot of confidence. This was three points not a lot of people were expecting us to take - but we need more wins.”

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Newcastle’s form has improved immeasurably since mid-December, with the Magpies having lost just two of their last nine matches - both of which were against runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City.

And Diame’s impressive performances have played a crucial part in contributing to Newcastle’s encouraging recent run, with the former Senegal international scoring twice during that spell.

Though Diame started the campaign as fourth-choice central-midfielder, he has been an almost ever-present in the starting XI in recent weeks - and he intends to keep forcing Benitez to pick him during the run in by continuing to impress, too.

“As I have said before, it wasn’t easy for me but I kept working and I feel better every game,” Diame added.

“Hopefully I can be a regular for the rest of the season and give a good performance.

“You need to work hard in training and make it a difficult choice for the manager as to who makes his starting XI.”