Pardew's plan for Ben Arfa.

I think it's fair to say that not many current NUFC players can ignite the imagination quite like Hatem Ben Arfa can.

He is the shirt seller, the money generator, the player who people pay money to go and see. He is a maverick capable of single-handedly changing a game, as witnessed against Everton earlier on in the season, and he can pull out all the tricks to keep the crowd on their feet. But he is also injured, and has been since September.

Ben Arfa will be back on Tyneside on Monday as he continues his recovery from the callous tackle that Nigel de Thug dished out earlier on in the season. A 'tib and fib' break was diagnosed which has left Hatem out of action for such a long time and has left Newcastle fans wondering what could have been.

Still, the road to recovery is nearly complete and fans can once again look forward to seeing the French wing-wizard in action. Did I say wing-wizard? Apparently not, according to Alan Pardew who talked to L'Equipe and gave quite an insight into the exact role that Hatem Ben Arfa will have in the team.

"Next season?" Pardew pondered. "He will play a central role in our attacking line. I want to use him as a playmaker, a number 10, just behind one forward. I am convinced he is able to score between 10 and 15 goals a season."

Well at least with Wayne Routledge gone he won't have to worry about who to give the number 10 shirt to!

On a more serious note, it does kind of quash those little formations that crop up that have Ben Arfa out on the wing. Apparently playing the free role is Benny's best position, and it's the one that he came here to play when he first arrived from Marseille. Personally, I can't wait to see him back in action and I'm keeping everything crossed in the hope that the injury hasn't ruined him.

If Benny is to play the number 10 role then he will need a striker who he can feed off. None of our current strikers are up to that task in my opinion so we'll need to go shopping for a new one that can score goals and set up chances. I scoffed at the rumour the other day, but someone like Mario Gomez or Andy Carro.... Oops. Mario would do. It's unlikely, but it's just an example.

I won't bore you with the rest of the interview as you'll probably have read it yourself, but if you haven't it's basically about getting Benny back in a routine and taking it easy with him etc etc. The usual stuff pretty much.

The real titbit is the plan to play Benny where he can be at his creative best, and the thought of that excites me.

However, without without wanting to be the harbinger of doom, I just can't get my head around this planning for next season malarkey. Not yet anyway. First and foremost we need to ensure that we are in a league in which we will actually see Ben Arfa pull on those black and white stripes. Call me cynical, but I very much doubt he would hang around as we trekked to places like Scunthorpe and Doncaster.

So while it's nice to see that the club are looking ahead, I would urge them not to look too far in front and focus on the job in hand. It could all change come 5pm however and we could all breath just that little bit easier if we manage to tame the Wolves this afternoon.

Until then though, everything should be on hold.