McManaman went unpunished as referee Mark Halsey's line of vision was blocked by a Newcastle player but it did not go unnoticed by John Carver, the Newcastle assistant manager.

Prior to the Haidara deal, Newcastle had already signed Montpellier defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Mathieu Debuchy and Bordeaux forward Yoan Gouffran.

Gouffran, a former France under-21 international, scored 40 goals in 179 appearances for Bordeaux, including a goal against his former club Caen that secured the 2008-09 Ligue 1 title.

Arsenal and AC Milan were also reportedly interested in the centre-back, who made over 200 appearances in six years for Montpellier and broke into the France team last season.