Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has warned Hatem Ben Arfa that he will have to fight for a first-team place.
Pardew relishing competition for places
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has hailed the return of Hatem Ben Arfa from injury - but warned he faces competition for a starting spot next season.
The 24-year-old joined Newcastle on a season-long loan last summer and made an immediate impact, scoring a spectacular winner on his full debut against Everton in September.
However, just a week later Ben Arfa suffered a serious leg-break against Manchester City and was immediately ruled out for the season.
Despite the injury, Newcastle chose to make the loan deal permanent, paying Marseille £5million for his services in January.
Competition
The St James' Park club have since been busy during the summer transfer window, bringing in Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye and Sylvain Marveaux.
And while Pardew has lauded Ben Arfa upon his return from injury, he insists he will have to fight for his place in the starting XI with the rest of the players.
"He can make a lot of impact here this season," Pardew told the
Shields Gazette.
"It isn't just about Hatem of course - there are a lot of good players here.
"In fact we have a lot of options for each position, and that's what any manager wants - it creates competition for places.
"The greater difficulty that I have in selecting my team the better. It is a selection problem, but it is a problem I want. It's a nice problem to have."
