Alan Pardew confirms Hatem Ben Arfa has been training away from first team

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has confirmed that Hatem Ben Arfa has not been training with the first team this week.

The 27-year-old, who has returned to fitness, has struggled to maintain a regular place due to becoming a reported disruptive figure within the camp.

The Frenchman expressed his frustration this week in an interview and revealed that he has been training with the reserves.

"They are his comments," Pardew told reporters. "My comments are the same as before – I pick the team on merit. He trained with a different group to that I worked with."

Ben Arfa joined Newcastle from Marseille in 2010.