Ben Arfa not thinking about France recall

Hatem Ben Arfa is not thinking about returning to the France squad following a series of impressive showings for Nice.

The 28-year-old signed for the Cote d’Azur club in January 2015 after having his contract with Newcastle United terminated, but was ineligible to play until this season.

Ben Arfa has not featured for France since their 2-0 defeat to Sweden in Euro 2012, and, despite an upturn in form which sees him level with Marseille’s Michy Batshuayi at the top of the Ligue 1 scoring charts, he is not thinking about an international recall.

“Honestly, I don’t think about it. My priority is to have fun with my team,” Ben Arfa told Nice’s official website.

“If France need me then Didier Deschamps will call me. It’s not in my head.”

Ben Arfa scored his seventh goal in nine Ligue 1 outings as Nice defeated Rennes 4-1 on Sunday, and he admitted he did not want the game to end.

“I did not want to leave [the pitch]. I wish it lasted another three hours so my team-mates and I could enjoy ourselves,” he added.

“We stepped up the passes and when we play like that it’s as if we were back at home when we were young.

“I think that all of France took pleasure in watching us.”