The French winger, who is on a season-long loan at St James' Park from Marseille, suffered a horrendous double leg break against Manchester City last weekend following a challenge from Nigel de Jong. Ben Arfa, 23, has undergone surgery but is expected to be sidelined for six months with the injury, meaning he will be unable to make the 25 appearances necessary to trigger an automatic move to the Magpies. Boss Hughton does not know what the future holds for the winger but thinks it is going to be a tough recovery from hereon in. "I don't know what is going to happen in terms of his transfer," Hughton told the Newcastle Journal. "It is something for the various parties to discuss when the time is right. At the moment all we can concentrate on is making sure we get him back to full fitness. "The hard work starts now. He has had the operation and now he has to start thinking about rehab. This is the really tough time for any player who suffers a serious injury. "Most do at some point in their careers, most will have a long-term injury but it is sad it has happened so early in his. "It is mentally tough when you know you have such a long time without playing football. "That's the hardest part of a serious injury and that is what Hatem has got ahead of him." Ben Arfa had looked like an excellent signing by Hughton until his injury, with the flair player netting a superb long-range effort against Everton in September.
