The 22-year-old Frenchman left Old Trafford during the summer after two frustrating seasons after Newcastle boss Alan Pardew persuaded him he could fulfil his potential on Tyneside. Obertan took time to adapt to his new surroundings, but having enjoyed the kind of run of Premier League football he craved during his time at United, has established himself as a key member of the Magpies' side which has started the campaign so well. A toe infection has sidelined him for the last two games, but the former Bordeaux midfielder has returned to fitness in the nick of time for a fixture he will relish more than most. He said: "I think my last game against Stoke was my best game for the club so far, so I think I am getting the tempo of the Premier League and I am getting to know my team-mates better as well, so everything is working fine. "I just need to maybe score a few goals now and to keep making assists, and it will be great. "It's only been 10 games, so I think I can do a lot better. That's the way I think, and hopefully I will do it." Obertan arrived at United during the summer of 2009, but made just 13 senior starts as he struggled to force his way into Sir Alex Ferguson's plans on a sustained basis. He understandably has regrets that his time at Old Trafford did not work out as he might have hoped, but has no complaints about the latest change of direction in his career path. He said: "It's never nice to leave such a club. There might be some regret, but after the start we have had, I can't have those regrets anymore because after 12 games, we are still in the top six. It's just great." Asked if he feels he has a point to prove tomorrow, Obertan said: "In a way, yes. "When you leave a club, you always have that feeling - when you go back there, you want to prove that you are a better player, and I will try to do it. "But before that, if we can get three points, that's the main thing." There will be plenty of familiar faces when Obertan, for once, heads for the unfamiliar territory of the away dressing room, and the midfielder will be particularly pleased to bump into old friend Patrice Evra. The two men are likely to see plenty of each other if the Newcastle winger starts in his usual right-sided berth, and the challenge has already been thrown down. Obertan said: "Patrice Evra, he's a good friend of mine. "I called him before and told him I have spent two weeks in the gym, so just watch out because I'm not messing about." Newcastle's recent record at Old Trafford provides little cause for optimism - they have not won there since February 1972 - although they are not alone in that respect and Obertan is not at all surprised. He said: "I have experienced the way they play at home, United, and it's really, really hard. "If they start right, it's really hard to play against them, so we have to be mentally prepared and physically too." The trip across the Pennines represents the second instalment of an intensely difficult trilogy for Alan Pardew's men which began with a visit to leaders Manchester City last Saturday - the 3-1 defeat was their first in the league this season - and will culminate with Chelsea's arrival in the north-east next weekend. But asked if in some respects, they have nothing to lose, Obertan said: "That's true - but it's been 12 games. "After three or four games, people were saying we were lucky. After 12 games, it's not luck anymore."
