Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has insisted that he wants to manage until he is 70 and remains hungry to win more trophies, as his future at St. James' Park remains unclear.
Benitez turned 59 this week and has led the Magpies impressively through a tough season which has been typically overshadowed by off-field problems and debates over Mike Ashley's ownership at the club.
IT’S MATCHDAY! We are back to St. James! Big day! #HowayTheLads ⚽⚫⚪ pic.twitter.com/jAHwzcTyhr
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Newcastle are currently 15th in the Premier League, seven points clear of the relegation zone, but Benitez has admitted that his ambitions remain beyond fighting for survival. Quoted by the Shields Gazette, Benitez admitted that he is 'waiting for answers' from Newcastle's hierarchy over his future.
Whilst it remains to be seen whether the Spaniard will remain on Tyneside beyond this season, Benitez added on when he plans to retire: "I was talking to a friend - 11 years. 11 years as a manager, that's fine.
"You see Roy Hodgson is still there. I like to manage teams, I like to coach players, so I'm happy with that. Always I say, we're forward-thinking. My staff, they're young people, and we're always thinking about how to improve things.
"Me, as a manager, I know you need young people coming into your staff to be sure that you're talking with players in the way that you have to talk.
"I was like that when I was 26 when I started as a coach, and now still I am looking for solutions, technology, software, stats. It's just part of the way that you do things normally.
"Always, I say, because I have come from the Real Madrid Academy, we have a winning mentality. We want to win.
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"What I want is to get a job that I can enjoy competing. If I cannot, maybe I have to stay home and wait, I don't know. But, at the moment, my idea is to have a team that can compete.
"When I decided to stay here [with Newcastle] in the Championship, it was to compete to go back to the Premier League and try to be in the top ten and after, try to go to Europe. That was my idea in the first year, so OK, we cannot now, but we will try.
"Now we're in a situation where we have to decide if we want to achieve something more. I have been here for more than three years, and I was clear from day one. I also think it is what the fans are looking for.
"We need a team that can compete in the Premier League, and not just survive in the Premier League. I think there are ways we can do that, but we have to make sure we are of the same opinion.
"That's it. I'm not saying anything special or strange. It's just a case of saying, 'OK, what's our idea? This one. Can we go together? Fine. Perfect'.
"But it has to be something that makes sure I, the fans and everybody here, are sure we can compete. It's not a case of thinking, 'maybe we can finish 10th or maybe we can finish 17th'. It has to be a team that when you play against anyone, you are sure you can win. Not that a draw will be a result.
"We know that we have to win games so the other things, my people and Lee [Chanley, Newcastle's managing director], they will be talking and we will see where we are."
Source: 90min
