Newcastle United have identified Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers as a possible replacement for Rafael Benitez, should the club’s dismal start to the season continue.
After guiding the Magpies to 10th place in the Premier League last season following their promotion from the Championship, Benitez’s side have struggled in 2018/19, as they currently sit 19th in the table, still awaiting their first win.
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As a result, The Mirror report that Newcastle‘s hierarchy are preparing options should their poor form continue, and look to bring in Rodgers in a bid to turn their fortunes round.
Rodgers is currently into third season at Celtic, having won the domestic treble in the previous two campaigns. Despite his success in Scotland, it is reported that he is looking for a return to English football, and was recently linked with the Aston Villa job before the appointment of Dean Smith.
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Reports of Benitez’s potential dismissal comes in the wake of a clear-the-air dinner involving his squad and polarising owner Mike Ashley, as the club looked to mend fractured relationships between those on the pitch and those in the boardroom.
Should Benitez – who is into the final year of his contract at Newcastle – depart, it would certainly be an unpopular decision with the fans, who have continued the back the former Liverpool manager for the work he’s done despite the limited funds available to him.