Yohan Cabaye Hands 'Extraordinary' Hatem Ben Arfa Pivotal Role In NUFC Team (On Football Manager)
Despite leaving Newcastle for Paris Saint Germain in January it seems Yohan Cabaye still holds a candle for his former club after revealing that he plays as the Magpies on Football Manager.
Our former French flame tweeted a picture of himself watching Andy Murray tackle Gael Monfils at the French Open that showed him enjoying a quick game on the management sim as he prepares for the World Cup with Les Bleus.
You take the man out Newcastle but you can't take Newcastle out of the man! Best friend Mathieu Debuchy was obviously included while out-of-favour Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa partnered captain Fabricio Coloccini in the heart of defence and Massadio Haidara started at left-back.Tellingly, there was a prominent role for Hatem Ben Arfa with our mercurial attacker deployed as no.10 by his ex-colleague Cabaye in an attacking 4-2-3-1 formation.
It is a position where many supporters feel Ben Arfa would flourish in real life if only he we granted a prolonged run by belligerent manager Alan Pardew instead of being ostracised from the first-team as he was towards the end of last season.
Cabaye was also forthcoming with a few words of encouragement for Ben Arfa - who he described as 'extraordinary' - and feels the Club would regret allowing him to leave this summer.
"I have not talked to him (about a departure)," The PSG midfielder told Foot Mercato. "This is a situation that he must manage on his side. For me, he remains an extraordinary player with enormous quality.
"It is true that it was harder for him late in the season. He is going to bounce back and find more opportunities with another team.
"For me, this is one of the players I've played with who has the highest quality. If he decides to return home, that will be good for the French league."
It would be in Pardew's best interests to heed Cabaye's words and throw out an olive branch to Ben Arfa in an attempt to rehabilitate their relationship before the rest of the squad return for pre-season training. A harmonious environment is a winning one in our book.
Plus, knowing that Newcastle tend to dither in the transfer market and our pursuit of Montpellier playmaker Remy Cabella bound to end in failure, the need for Pardew to patch up his differences with Ben Arfa has never been greater.