Newcastle United goalkeeper Rob Elliot has praised manager Rafa Benitez and claimed that his man management skills convinced him to sign a brand new contract at the club a year ago.
The 31-year-old goalkeeper suffered a horrific knee injury on international duty with the Republic of Ireland last year which meant that he missed the majority of the 2016-17 campaign.
Elliot was forced to watch on from the sidelines as his side enjoyed a terrific season and achieved automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
Newcastle ended the season as champions of the division as they secured a 3-0 victory against Barnsley at St James’ Park on the final day of the season.
Speaking to the Chronicle, the goalkeeper revealed that he was unsure about his future at the club before the Spanish manager reassured him during the last summer break.
“I spoke to him in the summer and had my operations… He said: ‘Is everything OK with you?’
“Obviously, my contract was coming up. All I said to him was that my contract probably needed looking at.
“I was very unsure of my future before that… A week later he said: ‘We’ll have a meeting, and your contract will get sorted.’ I ended up signing a new deal.
“He’s shown faith in me and looked after me by doing that. I’ve got massive respect for him.”
Elliot recovered from his injury at the end of April and Benitez gave him the chance to play in the final three matches of the Championship season.
The Republic of Ireland international kept two clean sheets in these three games and helped the Magpies clinch promotion in the process.
The goalkeeper is set to be involved in the first-team next season having already experienced Premier League football at the club, making a total of 36 top flight appearances.