Rafa Benitez hints at future as he assesses his Newcastle players

Newcastle United won the Championship last season. And manager Benitez – whose 12th-placed side take on Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday – has been studying them closely this season in the Premier League.

Asked what he had learnt about his players since last summer, Benitez said: “Obviously, we changed some players, and some of them, they have been improving a lot – that’s really important for your thinking about the future – and some of them, you know them a little bit better, how they react when something is right, something is wrong.

“We are learning a lot of things from them.”

Benitez’s side had to come through a difficult period late last year. Since December, Newcastle have steadily picked up points, and last weekend’s 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town put them seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Asked if he had been impressed with the character shown, Benitez said: “Yes. Some of them, maybe they were more affected, but a group of them were quite strong. All together, they reacted really well.

“It’s always good when you test your players in difficult situations.”