Ben Arfa: It was a hell at Newcastle

The winger says he has come back from the worst period in his career after returning to form at Nice following a troubled end to life in the Premier League

Nice winger Hatem Ben Arfa has spoken out on his enforced exile to the reserves during his time at Newcastle United, describing the period as "hell".

Following an initial loan spell, Ben Arfa was signed on a permanent deal by Newcastle in January 2011 and quickly became a fan favourite at St James' Park.

However, his Newcastle career came to a bitter end, with a fall-out with then manager Alan Pardew leading to the Frenchman being banished to the reserves.

A loan move to Hull City followed in September 2014, but his spell at the KC Stadium was brief as Ben Arfa fell out of favour with boss Steve Bruce and Newcastle then terminated his contract in January this year.

Ben Arfa joined up with Nice that month, only to see his contract cancelled as it was ruled he was ineligible to play for the Ligue 1 club as he had already featured for Newcastle's reserves and the Hull first team in the 2014-15 season.

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