MEHDI Abeid has received his first senior international call-up after impressing for Newcastle United, but it could lead to Alan Pardew losing the midfielder at the beginning of next year.

Abeid stood out in the games against Manchester City and Liverpool, both of which the Magpies won, and his form has caught the eye of Algerian national coach Christian Gourcuff.

The 22-year-old has been named in his adopted country’s squad for their African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Ethiopia and Mali later this month and having already booked their place in the tournament in Morocco, Abeid will be keen to force his way into Gourcuff’s first-team plans.

The France-born midfielder, who represented Les Blues at youth level, has completed a remarkable turnaround on Tyneside since he arrived in 2011 from Lens.

Signed as a future prospect and handed a five-year deal, Abeid failed to impress in his first season on Tyneside and was subsequently loaned out to St Johnston for the second half of the 2012/13 season.

The following campaign he was sent to Greek side Panathinaikos on a year-long loan and he made such an impact that they were keen to sign him on a permanent deal after becoming a key part of the team.

That form – he scored nine goals in 32 appearances – didn’t go unnoticed and Pardew handed the youngster another opportunity at the beginning of this season.

He played the full 90 minutes in the Capital One Cup win over Gillingham and also started in the next round against Crystal Palace before he was sent off in extra-time.

Abeid’s chance has correlated with the absence of Cheick Tiote – who has been linked with a move away from St James’ Park in January – and should he continue to impress the midfielder could be a long-term replacement for the Ivory Coast international.

He is likely to retain his place for Sunday’s trip to West Brom, but should be claim a place in Algeria’s African Cup of Nations squad he could miss almost a month of action in January and February depending on how far his side progresses in the competition.

Pardew does have other central midfield options in Vurnon Anita and Jack Colback, but Magpies boss will be mindful that Abeid may not be the only player he loses.

Papiss Cisse and Tiote will be missing if Senegal and Ivory Coast qualify, but there is still uncertainly surrounding the tournament taking place.

Morocco have expressed reservations about staging the tournament because of fears over the Ebola virus, which has claimed thousands of lives in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The hosts have had a request for the tournament to be put back one or two years rejected by the Confederation of African Football.