Former Newcastle United midfielder Nolberto Solano has urged Magpies owner Mike Ashley to sort out manager Rafael Benitez’s future.
The Spaniard is in the final few months of his contract with no resolution yet in sight despite his obvious desire to remain at St James’ Park.
Now, Solano has had his say: “A club needs to show how much they want their manager to stay,” he told The Chronicle. “Mike Ashley will be pleased really because what Rafa Benitez has done for him in the last three years is good.
“He should be ringing him every day to make sure he signs. Mike should show him some respect and get him on board as soon as possible because he can go somewhere else.”
OPINION
Solano is speaking the truth here, there’s no doubt about that. Ashley really should be doing everything he can to try and persuade Benitez to stay after what the Newcastle boss has done during his time in the north east. He’s worked wonders with a pretty poor squad, while improving plenty of things behind the scenes. All he wants is a little reassurance that the club is going places. He wants the Magpies board to match his ambition, something which they have continually failed to do so far. Solano is right, Ashley should be contacting him constantly, showing him he appreciates the job he has done and urging him to remain in his post. It shouldn’t have taken this long to sort out the manager’s future and it’s become a huge distraction for everyone involved. As Solano says, Benitez could easily go somewhere else and be given what he wants from Newcastle. With that in mind, Ashley absolutely must tie the Spaniard down as quickly as possible.
