Rafa Benitez explains Daryl Janmaat's surprise omission from his Newcastle squad

Rafa Benitez has revealed why he left Daryl Janmaat out of his squad for today's game against Bristol City.
Rafa BenitezRafa Benitez
Rafa Benitez

Janmaat was left behind on Tyneside by Newcastle United's manager, whose side won 1-0 at Ashton Gate thanks to a goal from Dwight Gayle.

For the second successive game, Benitez fielded Vurnon Anita out of position at right-back.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Asked about Janmaat's absence, Benitez said: "I have to pick the best players for the game.

"In this case, I thought Anita did well the other day (against Reading), and I wanted to stick with him."

Janmaat said he would give "everything" for Newcastle in an interview with the Gazette last month.

But the right-back stopped short of committing himself to a season in the Championship.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And Janmaat was today linked with a move to West Ham United.

Benitez, for his part, is looking forward to having a settled squad to work with once the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

"I said before that August 31 can make a difference in terms of how we can approach the rest of the season," said Benitez, who handed Yoan Gouffran another start at Ashton Gate..

"It is difficult to have players who are in the transfer market or the newspapers.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"We were talking about whether Gouffran might maybe leave, so you have to keep him training as a professional.

"It is not easy to put the kind of effort onto the pitch that he has been doing. It will be important to get to August 31 and then regroup and see where we are."