Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has commented on recent speculation linking star attacker Ayoze Perez with a Magpies exit.
The Spaniard conducted an interview in his home country last month with broadcaster El Chiringuito, suggesting that he could leave Benitez’s side to return to La Liga.
Now, Benitez has given his thoughts on the matter, including a sly dig at the person conducting the interview: “I was talking with him after the interview and I think it was a bit tricky,” he said, as per The Chronicle.
“If you know the journalist, you know what is going on. I think he is okay. He is doing well and he is an important player for Newcastle United,” he finished.
OPINION
It’s probably a bit harsh of Benitez to take a shot at the person who conducted the interview with Perez. They were just asking questions, after all. That’s their job, and no one forced Perez to say that he wanted to move back to Spain. It’s the player’s choice how much or how little he divulges in interviews and so it’s a bit surprising that Benitez would suggest that the journalist was to blame in some way. Having said that, he’s never going to come out and hammer his player for the interview. He might have had a little word in private with his countryman and told him that perhaps he shouldn’t have said what he did, but there was no way he was ever going to say that in public. As Benitez says, Perez is a hugely important player for Newcastle. Whether that’s enough to keep him at the club for the foreseeable future remains to be seen, though.
