Newcastle United loan star Nabil Bentaleb wants to sign for the club permanently.

The former Tottenham star managed to escape from a frustrating situation at Schalke in Germany this season.

He spoke to reporters after making his Newcastle debut against Oxford United in the FA Cup at the weekend.

And he indicated a desire to make the move permanent at the end of the season.

Bentaleb told reporters: "I want to be here next season, for the long term, not just this season

"I feel like I have the same ambitions as the club, and I want to be part of this club."

He went on to say: "It was tough [at Schalke].

"Every footballer loves playing, and unfortunately, I've not been playing football.

"It was a learning curve for me, and in that situation, you have to try to make something positive about it."

And he believes he is mentally ready to show Newcastle fans his best form until the end of the season: He said: "I took this time out to spend time with my family and improve my game, watching a lot of games, a lot of my games to see what I could do better, ensure I stayed fit, I wanted to make sure I was ready for when I came back because I knew it wouldn't last forever.

"When I got chance to come here, I felt in my mind I was ready.

"It was very clear for me, I knew my decision straight away."