Martin Keown heaped praise on Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez after his side beat Burnley 2-0 on Tuesday.
The former Arsenal player urged the Magpies to wrap the manager up in cotton wool and give him whatever he was looking for in a new contract from the club.
Keown added that Benitez was key to everything going on at the Magpies and highlighted the fact it looked like the club were set to stay in the Premier League for another season.
"They have got to wrap him in cotton wool…"
"Offer him whatever he wants as a new contract!"
4?? home wins in a row
7?? points above bottom three@martinkeown5 believes Rafa Benitez's magic touch makes him indispensable to Newcastle. pic.twitter.com/PvdZnSOnBI— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 26, 2019
“It was from the goalkeeper, to the back three, to the midfield players, right through the spine of the team and Benitez has got this magic touch and this club need to wrap him in cotton wool and offer him whatever he wants in a new contract because he is key to everything they do at this football club,” said Keown on BT Sport, as seen in a clip uploaded to the broadcaster’s Twitter account.
“Done it on a shoe string, new signings come in at the right time, and they look like they will be playing Premier League football again next season.”
OPINION
Is it a surprise anymore that pundits are in awe of the job Benitez is doing at St James Park? As it shouldn’t be. Benitez has done amazing work once again at the Magpies to make them seem on course to retain their Premier League status. The Magpies may have splashed a bit of cash in January for a change to welcome Miguel Almiron, but the Magpies’ squad needed much more investment then that. There are several areas of Benitez’s side which doesn’t have lot of depth and this has seen him have to work his magic to make the Magpies competitive in the Premier League. For example Benitez seems to have uncovered a gem in Sean Longstaff and has boldly trusted him to feature in England’s top division, despite the young midfielder playing his regular football out on loan in League One in his 2017/18 campaign. It’s these sort of actions and pieces of genius that see the Magpies survive in the Premier League, and the club should really heed Keown’s words and sort Benitez’s contract out.