Mehdi Abeid has vowed to continuing working hard in order to 'prove himself' at Newcastle United having been handed his Premier League debut against Liverpool this weekend.

The 22-year-old arrived at St James' Park in 2011, although he had been made to wait for his first appearance for the club in the top flight following loan spells at St Johnstone and most recently Panathinaikos.

However, after winning applause from many home supporters following Saturday's 1-0 victory, Abeid is eager to now hold down a place in the starting lineup.

"It's just unreal," the midfielder is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News. "You don't know how happy I am to play for this club and to prove myself. But I couldn't be as good if my teammates weren't with me helping me every day. The last four years hasn't been easy for me.

"I was just patient, I tried to work every day to be successful, and now I have to enjoy my time in the Premier League. I had to grow up as a player and as a man. What I did, I was really patient, I was working really hard.

"My loans were a really good experience for me, I learned a lot and today, I am really pleased to be playing for Newcastle. I want to play against the big players to judge myself, to learn every day. That's how we learn, to play against big players, and I am happy with what I have done this week."

Newcastle are currently 11th in the league table.