Newcastle manager Alan Pardew hopes Hatem Ben Arfa's wonder goal against Bolton earns the Frenchman a place at Euro 2012.
St James' Park boss full of praise for Frenchman
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew hopes Hatem Ben Arfa's wonder goal against Bolton earns the Frenchman a place at Euro 2012.
The forward, who has made just eight appearances for Les Bleus, scored a stunning opener in Monday's 2-0 victory at St James' Park, where he ran from the halfway line and beat three defenders before dinking a superb finish.
Ben Arfa's goal compared to that which he scored in the FA Cup against Blackburn in January and Pardew was not surprised to see the 25-year-old's 'magic'.
The Newcastle boss has long championed the former Marseille man's international credentials and he hopes France manager Laurent Blanc is paying attention.
Pardew told
Sky Sports: "I think the goal at Blackburn was probably better, if I'm honest. But this one is going to be Premier League coverage.
"He is going to get what he deserves for this goal, because, the last one, he did not get enough coverage for that goal.
Fantastic
"Hopefully it will edge the French manager to include him in the French squad, because he is desperate to get in that.
"He showed that today. Not just his goal, but his performance, his work-rate. It was fantastic."
Victory over relegation-threatened Bolton, which was secured by a Papiss Cisse goal 10 minutes after Ben Arfa's 73rd minute moment of genius, combined with Tottenham's shock defeat by Norwich means Newcastle are now level on points with the UEFA Champions League places.
But Pardew is not getting carried away, as he explained: "I said all along that if we can get to the last six games and be in and around, we will give it a go.
"That is what our fans want to see us do - an honest commitment to win the game. That is what we have done all year.
"It has got us where we are now. We are not going to get carried away by it."
