Benitez seeks more than just Gayle’s goals

RAFA Benitez is refusing to judge his number 9 Dwight Gayle on simply scoring goals – despite a poor season in general for the club’s strike force.

The former Crystal Palace star scored twice in the away trip to AFC Bournemouth to take his tally to five strikes for the season and nudge ahead as Newcastle United’s top scorer – but Benitez feels the striker has much more in his locker.

Gayle has been a success story since arriving from Selhurst Park for £10million in 2016 with his overall tally now 28 goals for the club since being handed the iconic shirt number.

However, Benitez told the Chronicle: “It’s important for the strikers to score goals, but at the same time when the team doesn’t get much possession like us in the Premier League, they have to help the team defend too.

“They have to help the team with their movements.

“Sometimes the striker’s movements create space for other players.

“That’s what we have at the moment, players working very hard for the team and you don’t see them on the scoresheet sometimes but that doesn’t mean they aren’t doing a great job for the team.”

But Gayle will need to continue his goal rush if he wants to avoid being Newcastle’s least effective top scorer in a single season during a Premier League campaign.

Back in 2000/2001 Carl Cort and Nobby Solano scored six each to be joint top scorer.

John Barnes’ haul of half-adozen goals during the 1997/98 season resulted in another poor return.

Gayle has just 10 games left of the current Premier League campaign to rectify the situation and chalk up a more respectable goal tally – and will be looking to at least get beyond the tallies of Cort, Solano and Barnes in a single season in the top flight.