Rafa: League is numero uno with bosses like Nuno

RAFA Benitez is confident that managers like Nuno Espirito Santo will continue to make the Premier League one of the top divisions in world football.

The encounter against Wolverhampton Wanderers at St James’ Park will also be the battle of the two exvalencia bosses.

Nuno arrived in Britain after stints at the Mestalla and FC Porto before leading Wolves to promotion at the first time of asking with four games to spare last season.

Benitez is full of admiration for the Portuguese and said: “Nuno was at Valencia too, I think he is a good manager. He has some experience now and he knows English football now, he is doing a great job and doing welll.”

This season Wolves are proving they can hold their own with Santo’s side playing attractive football and bringing in stars like Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and dangerous Mexican international Raul Jimenez, who is on loan from Benfica.

Benitez feels that Nuno is a great example of an overseas manager bringing their own fresh ideas to Premier League.

The United chief said: “In Spain we used to have a ‘three-foreigner’ rule and people used to say it was too much.

“But the advantage you have in bringing in foreign players and managers – and it’s the same in Spain and Italy – is that you can see a different approach. It can only be positive.

“When you are seeing other ways to do things maybe you’ll see something you like or something you don’t but at least you are learning something different and then you adapt to it.

“The fact that you have a lot of foreign managers now with different ideas has been positive for English football.

“You haven’t seen teams working on keeping possession until now. The national team now plays more possession football so it means the influence of foreign managers is paying off.

“I came here at the same time as Jose Mourinho in 2004. You are getting something more and English football is better because of that.”

Nuno also had positive words to say about Benitez in the build-up to the game, he said: “Rafa is a fantastic manager. All of the titles he has won and the way he prepares is great.

“The way Newcastle play is a reflection of how good a manager he is. I really respect him.”