Kevin Nolan lends Hatem Ben Arfa his support
Newcastle United captain Kevin Nolan has said that his team mates have rallied in support of new signing Hatem Ben Arfa, who broke his leg against Manchester City last weekend.
Ben Arfa fell victim to City midfielder Nigel De Jong early in the game and could be out for the rest of the season after breaking his tibia and fibula.
The striker, who is on loan from French club Olympique de Marseille, had made a promising start to his spell at the club, scoring a spectacular goal in his first starting appearance against Everton.
"I've not managed to speak to him yet but the lads have sent him texts—I texted him and I spoke to his agent who said he is in good spirits," Nolan told Sky Sports. "Obviously, we are all gutted with what happened to him after the start he had made but that's
football unfortunately. Hopefully he's back as quickly as possible and makes a full recovery."
Newcastle finished first in the Championship last season, earning the team a place in the Premier League after having been relegated last spring.
Tougher battle to stay up without Ben Arfa
Ben Arfa, who was scooped up by manager Chris Hughton at the end of the summer transfer window, was a solid addition to the club's attack, and remaining in the Premier League will prove more difficult in the 23-year-old's absence.
With seven points from as many games, Nolan's team are 15th in the league table ahead of next week's home fixture against Wigan Athletic.
"When you start losing players through injury it gets a bit tough and you tend to look at it even more when you start to lose games. It's going to be a difficult season, we knew that from the start, but the lads are sticking together and I'm sure we'll be
okay."
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