France head coach Laurent Blanc has said that Hatem Ben Arfa is in contention for a call-up to his Euro 2012 squad.
The 25-year-old has been in impressive form for the Magpies this season, leading Alan Pardew to call for his inclusion on the international scene.
Blanc said that it has been a long road to recovery for Ben Arfa following a serious injury last year but he has not forgotten about him.
The 46-year-old also hinted that he did not appreciate Pardew's comments.
"I have not waited until his most recent performances to start following Hatem," Blanc told Telefoot. "I can remember when he was recovering from his injury at [France's national training centre] Clairefontaine and nobody was thinking about Hatem Ben Arfa.
"We know he has great talent, this is not something that we have discovered in the last three games.
"It is very nice of his coach [Alan Pardew] to say that Laurent Blanc should take him to the Euros but he rarely picked him at the start of the season. He waited a long time before picking him, but now I would say he has become a contender again."
Ben Arfa made his loan switch to the Sports Direct Arena permanent last summer.
Michael Penkman
