KEVIN Keegan has hailed the influence of Newcastle United's African quartet for their part in helping steer the Magpies clear of the threat of top flight relegation.

Senegal pair Habib Beye and Abdoualye Faye, Nigerian hitman Oba Martins and Cameroon star Geremi were all absent during January as the Geordies found themselves sucked into a bottom-of-the-table scrap.

And, even up on their return from the Africa Cup of Nations in early February, KK's side still struggled for results and found themselves just three points clear of the dreaded drop zone following defeat at Liverpool.

But a run of five games without defeat has all but buried any lingering fears of relegation and, with United's African contingent ever-present during that spell, Toon boss Keegan is quick to stress the sizeable extent of their influence.

"The African lads are very important at this club because when they were away at the Nations Cup it was more than 20 per cent of our first-team squad," he told Newcastle World TV.

"At most clubs these days African players are important and it's easy to see why if the lads here are anything to go by.

"They are terrific athletes and terrific professionals.

"They do things right and players such as Geremi and Abdoulaye Faye certainly know their way around the streets and have got a lot of experience.

"Then we've got Oba who is a total one-off and gives us something no-one else does.

"Habib also has been outstanding in recent weeks and his energy and enthusiasm is unbelievable.

"It's no coincidence they have been ever-present during our recent run and having them back has made a huge difference."