Steve McClaren has warned Moussa Sissoko he will only get the chance to realise his Champions League ambitions if he performs for Newcastle.
The 26-year-old France international has veered between brilliant and ineffectual during his time on Tyneside, but has made no secret of his desire to play in club football's biggest competition one day.
As a result, he was linked with a move away from St. James' Park this summer, although that never materialised and he has struggled to impose himself once again amid the club's testing start to the campaign.
But asked if Sissoko is committed to the cause, McClaren, whose side head for Manchester City on Saturday, replied: "I've had lots of chats with him and he seems it.
"He's obviously very ambitious and that's great, but like everybody who is ambitious, I'm sorry, but you have to perform every week to a certain standard, and he knows that.
"I'm sure he admits himself he could do better, but his work for the team, his stats and his running, all that high intensity, is more than he was doing last season, so he's certainly doing his job and putting the effort in."
The Magpies ended a run of four successive defeats in all competitions last weekend when they drew 2-2 with champions Chelsea having led 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining, and while the outcome came as a disappointment, the performance was vastly improved.
That it was achieved with Kevin Mbabu making his league debut was all the more creditable with McClaren admitting the 20-year-old might have been heading out on loan had it not been for a defensive crisis.
Mbabu is likely to continue at the Etihad Stadium, where there could be a return for midfielder Cheick Tiote with a hamstring injury threatening Jack Colback's participation.
McClaren will nevertheless hope for another positive result as he attempts to silence the doubters.
He said: "I hate losing, I hate losing... I hate losing and not playing well even more, and we've had a couple of them.
"But It's not been anything I didn't expect. We're not where I want to be, but I expected that and you've got to go through these times, and I'm trying not to be grumpy every day!"