Source: FOOTYMAD
Will Ben Arfa Ever Be The Same?
You take a massive cance signing a player with a broken leg, and Newcastle did just that giving Hatem Ben Arfa a lengthy deal. Has it backfired? Ben Arfa’s recovery has been very slow, and his agent didn't help by telling us in March "he is doing far better than we expected and he will be back in the team before the end of the season". He returned to Tyneside at the start of April but it was obvious he was well BEHIND schedule rather than AHEAD. Alan Pardew: “I would dismiss that straight away. I don’t see any problem with him coming back just as good as he was. “You’re talking about a really bad break. And I think we were buoyed by his last visit because he was a lot, lot better within himself. “I think anyone who has suffered an injury like that, you’ve got to give him time, you’ve got to understand what is happening. “You don’t rush it and we won’t with Hatem (Ben Arfa). “I know we made noises that he might play in those last three games but realistically, I never gave him a chance. “I was trying to keep the boy’s head up to be honest. I don’t want him to see negative press so I said he might play in those three games. “But I thought I was doing the right thing for Hatem, so that he genuinely felt he had a chance because he was quite low about his training, his workrate and everything. “Once he knew he wasn’t going to make the games he probably accepted that and now he is aiming to be ready for July 4.”
