RAFA ON STAR’S ‘DIFFICULT DECISION’

RAFA Benitez says that he still has a healthy relationship with Andros Townsend - despite the winger’s decision to quit the club after relegation.

Benitez admits that Townsend may have made the wrong choice to go, with Newcastle United quickly bouncing back into the Premier League and Crystal Palace currently in a fight against the drop at the moment.

But Benitez - who has since stated he would sign Townsend back if he got the chance - has no axe to grind with the England international.

When asked about the Palace wide man, Benitez told the Chronicle: “It was difficult for him to decide because he was thinking about England opportunities and his career.

“It is difficult when a team is going into the Championship. But he’s not someone who was unhappy and wanted to go for that reason.

“It was just a difficult decision for a professional which you have understand. Maybe he was wrong.

“But he had to decide. For us, he was a good player and we have kept up the communication.

“So everything was fine, it was just a pity.”

Townsend wasn’t the only player to leave Newcastle in summer 2016 with Gini Wijnaldum and Moussa Sissoko also demanding moves.

However, Newcastle’s subsequent success shows that no individual is ever going to be bigger than the club.

The Spaniard said: “Normally when you have a city and a massive fan-base then you can deal with players leaving.

“It is always a pity when you lose a good player. But in the end, the club and the city helps attract new players.

“Some of the young players here now can flourish during the season.”

Newcastle face a Palace side who find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table.

And after a positive result at Southampton last weekend, Newcastle can climb into the top six if they get a good result this weekend and other results go their way.

Benitez feels the performance at St Mary’s will help them against Palace.

He said: “It was a good performance and it’s a pity that those little mistakes turned into massive mistakes (in terms of the impact on the scoreline).

“These are things we have to improve.

“They can change games but we will try to learn and be ready for the future.

“We will try not to make the same mistakes.”