MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 10:57:24| >> :60:3230:3230:

Rafael Benitez tells Salomon Rondon to "keep scoring" to secure future

Rafael Benitez tells Salomon Rondon to
© Reuters
The Venezuela international has scored 10 goals for the Magpies.

Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez has told Salomon Rondon to just keep scoring goals if he wants to resolve his future.

The Venezuela international frontman took his tally for the season to 10 with his strike in the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth before the international break, and was also on the scoresheet for his country as they beat Argentina 3-1 last Friday.

Rondon arrived at St James' Park on loan from West Brom in August last year with Dwight Gayle heading in the opposite direction, and with no permanent deal in place his future remains up in the air.

However Benitez, who has been delighted with his contribution to date, wants him to carry on what he has been doing as the Magpies look to secure their top-flight status and is confident his position will be resolved as a result.

The Spaniard said: "We knew him before. We knew he could be fine for the way we wanted to play. I was pleased with him and I have been talking to him about what he is thinking.

"He is clear on wanting to score goals. I have talked with him about football, I asked him about what was going on. We had the same message, it is to carry on scoring goals.

"If he scores goals, it will be easier for him. It is better for him not to think about the future and just to score goals."

Newcastle will continue their quest for the remaining points they need – they currently sit in 13th place on 35, seven clear of the drop zone – at Arsenal on Monday evening.

They will do so without central defender Fabian Schar, who is suspended after reaching 10 bookings for the season.

However, the Switzerland international is unlikely to have been able to play anyway after being knocked unconscious during his country's 2-0 Euro 2020 qualifying victory in Georgia last Saturday.

Schar was allowed to complete the game despite losing consciousness, sparking concern over his welfare, although Benitez was relaxed about the incident.

He said: "We take these things very, very seriously and we tried to do as we have to do. He had the test after over there and then he had another test over here and then we try to be sure that he is fine, and it's okay, so I will not create something really important for that."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Damian Spellman, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '5212649e-53c9-4bd1-886b-481633b1d978');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Carry on Rondon, says Benitez'});

ID:354704: cacheID:354704:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4743:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
General view of Manchester City's Etihad Stadium taken September 2018
Read Next:
Man City to take part in Premier League Asia Trophy
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!