What happened to Algerian star Mehdi Abeid?

Abeid joined Newcastle from RC Lens but the midfielder had endured a frustrating spell, managing just 21 appearances during his four-year stay on Tyneside.

During spells with the Magpies, the 28-year-old went on a temporary move to St Johnstone in 2013 until the end of the season and made 12 appearances before being loaned out to Panathinaikos the following season on a one-year deal.

He scored his first goal in a match against Veria with the Greek side and help the team achieve third place, three points behind runners up-PAOK and contributed to seven goals and five assists in 24 appearances.

In 2014 the Algerian international won the Greek cup with Panathinaikos, the first time for the club since 2010. He also helped his side win the Greek play-offs for the Champions League, by scoring two goals in four games.

At the end of his loan deal with the club, he returned back to St James is Park and made his debut in a 1-0 home win against Liverpool. However, he suffered a foot injury which ruined his time at Newcastle.

He has not had many injuries during his career, but when they did come they often came at the worst times.

Just under a year later, Abeid rebuilt his career and was sold to Panathinaikos where he had a successful loan spell at. His excellent performances that season helped him to get the call-up for the Algeria squad ahead of the African Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia in 2016.

His contract was terminated with the Greens in his second spell and went on to play for French sides Dijon where he made 25 appearances scoring six goals and Nantes where he contributed to one goal in 25 appearances last season.

In 2019, Abeid was involved in the squad that lifted the African Cup of Nations with Algeria, after their 1-0 win against Senegal.

After many loans at different clubs, the midfielder joined Dubai outfit Al Nasr for £1.35m this season and has made a great start to life in the United Arab Emirates, helping his side secure maximum points by scoring a late goal against Khorfakkan on his debut in a 2-1 victory last month.

Abeid was also involved on the score sheet once again helping his side qualify for the final in the UAE President’s Cup after a 3-0 win against Sharjah FC. Alen Horvat’s side are looking to win the competition for the fifth time.

The Algerian contributed to Al Nasr grabbing their first league win after a three game winless run. The International Najd’s Knight are currently fourth, only eight points of Al Jazira at the top with seven games remaining and visit Baniyas who are in second also looking to put pressure on the league leaders.