Benitez: No regrets on Mags

Rafa Benitez says he has no regrets about taking the Newcastle United job – but he has refused to commit to the Magpies in the event of relegation.

Benitez’s side are secondbottom of the Premier League and six points adrift of safety heading into today’s game at Southampton.

There is a clause in his contract allowing him to walk away from Tyneside in the event of relegation to the Championship.

But Benitez, tipped for the Spain job by current coach Vicente del Bosque who leaves after Euro 2016, will not discuss his future beyond this season. The 55-year-old is instead focused on keeping Newcastle in the division.

Benitez, however, does not regret taking on the “challenge”.

Asked if he had any “regrets” about taking over at Newcastle, he said: “No. I want to stay here for a while, so I’m really pleased to have this challenge. For me, it is a challenge.”

Pressed on whether he would stay on if the club was relegated, Benitez added: “I have confidence we will stay in the Premier League, so I don’t think about the other options.”

Benitez, beaten 3-2 at Norwich last weekend, believes he has the answers to the Magpies’ on-field problems.

But time is against him, with just seven games left to play.

Asked if he was an optimist by nature, Benitez said: “I am very competitive, more than optimistic.

“So I am realistic and I can see the problem, but still I can see the solutions. So we have to keep working and we have to approach the game like Norwich not like ‘oh, it’s a problem’.

“No, it’s a challenge and we have to try and win this game and be ready. If we cannot then we move on to the next one, because still we have games to play, points to win and we have to try.

“I am the Newcastle manager and I want to be the Newcastle manager next year.

“I am really pleased here.”