Ben Arfa must fight to win back Newcastle place
UNDER PRESSURE: Newcastle United's Hatem Ben Arfa (right)
HATEM Ben Arfa has been warned he will have to fight to win his place back in Alan Pardew’s Newcastle United side.
Ben Arfa was left out of the starting XI for Sunday’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa after Demba Ba returned from the African Cup of Nations.
The forward had enjoyed a run of games in Pardew’s team in Ba’s absence.
However, with the striker having made a goalscoring return and new signing Papiss Demba Cisse having scored on his debut, Ben Arfa will have to work even harder to get back in the side.
The 24-year-old was a peripheral figure in United’s three previous games against Blackburn Rovers, Brighton and Hove Albion and Fulham.
And Pardew has again challenged the hugely talented France international to up his workrate and make a bigger contribution on the pitch – with and without the ball – for Newcastle.
“Hatem still hasn’t quite grasped, in my opinion, this Premier League,” Pardew told SportMail.
“He has got unbelievable talent, but he is not used to it.
“He’s got to fight now to get in this team.”
SEE Tuesday’s Mail for full story
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Weather for Hartlepool
Monday 28 May 2012
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