Newcastle United winger Hatem Ben Arfa has hit out at his former Lyon teammates.

Ben Arfa believes his time at Lyon was undermined by the senior players at the club, which at the time boasted Juninho Paulista, Gregory Coupet and Chelsea's Florent Malouda in their ranks.

"When I started training with the pros and I was only 17, a few of the senior guys made me feel like I was only a kid who hadn't made it yet," he told the News of the World.

"These players actually had problems with all the youngsters coming through, not just me, but when you're the first one it feels strange.

"And it went a lot further with me than the others. Maybe because I'm a bit of a rebel, I hate injustice. Sometimes I should have just shut my gob but I couldn't help it."