Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa wants to hit the ground running at Newcastle United.

The 23-year-old Yanga-Mbiwa guided Montpellier to an unexpected Ligue 1 title last season and is keen to assert his influence to help the Magpies out of their current strife.

Yanga-Mbiwa said: "I will do everything I can to help team spirit and make sure we are acting as one from the first minute until the last.

"Last year at Montpellier nobody expected that we would win the league but we had the mentality and solidity to do it with a good team spirit.

"The Premier League is the biggest league in the world and one of those leagues that everybody watches. One of the reasons I came here was to find out how good I am and to fulfil one of my dreams."