Hatem Ben Arfa may not be fit in time to face Manchester City this weekend. Did Newcastle United rush him back into the side?
Hatem Ben Arfa made a return to the Newcastle team that lost 2-1 away to Fulham last Monday. He has suffered a reoccurrence of the hamstring problem which had kept him out of the side and it could partially be down to the club rushing him back in time for that match in West London.
Alan Pardew is under a lot of pressure as the Newcastle boss because he is missing a large number of key players. However, this is not the reason to put someone back into the starting line up unless they are fully fit. The extra strain placed across the injured area of Ben Arfa’s hamstring from the match at Fulham may have caused this further delay.
It’s easy to see why the manager would consider getting someone back into the team who may not be 100%. Newcastle have lost five out of their last six league games and currently sit 14th in the table only two points above the bottom three places but they seem to have shot themselves in the foot ahead of a busy Christmas period.
“We are looking weak with injuries and suspensions and even after this morning we are sweating on Hatem for the game at the weekend. We are getting these blows consistently and we have to grind out a result, be more resilient and have a stronger winning mentality to eke out a win,” said Pardew as reported in the Daily Mail.
The reason this is such a big blow is a combination of Newcastle missing key and experienced midfield players and the fact they are about to play Manchester City. City will be determined to fight back after defeat in the Manchester derby which means Newcastle could be under severe pressure throughout the match this weekend.
There are no immediate comments anywhere on how likely the winger is set to be out for. It seems that the problem he has is only a slight reoccurrence of his original injury which means he could be back for the match after this weekend if the club treats it in the right way.
They have to ensure that he is not rushed because the cold weather which now surrounds training and matches increases the chance of a player pulling or snapping a muscle. Ben Arfa is one of the most creative players in the side at Newcastle but they cannot risk him if it will ultimately mean he is going to be out for far longer than originally thought.
image: © mikebrown59
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