Newcastle midfielder Jonjo Shelvey believes manager Rafa Benitez is an excellent man manager after explaining how he talks with the Spaniard in his office about improving his game.
Rafa is not known to be particularly close with players with Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard once saying in his autobiography that it was an achievement to just get a congratulations from the former Reds manager, but Shelvey has revealed that there is a different side to the man. He told the Evening Chronicle:
“He’s a very good man-manager – he gets his points across well. If you’re not playing, he’s a manager who’s very approachable. You can always knock on his door and he’ll give you the explanation. But there’s 25 players. Imagine if everyone was knocking on his door? He wouldn’t get out until the evening!”
Shelvey also revealed that he was frustrated with the lack of starts he was getting under Benitez at the end of last season but he never considered leaving. He went away in the summer to work on his physical fitness and the mental side of his game, and he came back to preseason in impressive form. Recognising his efforts to improve, Rafa rewarded him with more starts, and has only missed out on a starting place in two of Newcastle’s eleven league matches so far this campaign.
