Katan has made two brief substitute appearances so far but has also been impressive in the reserves and on the training ground.
Pardew said, “Katan has been a real bonus for us.
“I brought him in really with this first part of his tenure to have a good look at him and see how he coped with the introductions he's had but he's gone beyond that.
“He's now putting himself in the frame to start. His progress has been excellent and he's very eager to show off his stuff.
“We're talking about a seasoned international at 24 so it's not like he's a novice. So I'm not going to hold him back.”