LONDON, Feb 1 — Newcastle United winger Florian Thauvin has returned to Marseille on loan for the rest of the season, five months after signing a five-year deal with the Premier League club.

The 23-year-old joined Newcastle from Marseille in August but failed to settle on Tyneside, making just five starts and 16 appearances in total for manager Steve McClaren's team, who are third from bottom in the league table.

Thauvin will return to Newcastle at the end of the season as the loan agreement does not contain an option to make the switch permanent, the club said on their website (www.nufc.co.uk).

Newcastle signed midfielders Andros Townsend from Tottenham Hotspur and Jonjo Shelvey from Swansea City in January. — Reuters