Rafa Benitez offering no assurances he will remain Newcastle manager next season

A major internal power struggle has ensued at St James' Park

Benitez insisted he would stay for the rest of the season (Getty)

Rafa Benitez has offered Newcastle fans no assurances he will still be at the club for the start of next season as uncertainty over his position continues.

The Newcastle manager, whose long-term future at St James’ Park has been thrown into serious doubt because of a major internal power struggle over who controls football operations, would only confirm that he would not quit before the end of the current season.

The situation remains hugely delicate and political and Benitez insisted the club must not repeat the mistakes of the past.

In 2008 the then manager Kevin Keegan left amidst a bitter fight for control of transfers before winning a case at an independent arbitration hearing for constructive dismissal.

Benitez has been left mystified and stunned at the sudden change of direction and control inside St James’ Park, with the previously marginalised chief scout Graham Carr now back with considerable power in recruitment at the behest of owner Mike Ashley.

Benitez will not waver in his belief that the club must return to the policy where he had the final say, following the signing of a three-year contract in May that had him in control of football operations. Then Newcastle, at Benitez's instruction, overhauled their squad and made a profit of £30 million.

He will not continue if Newcastle and Ashley do not return to that policy, one which was overlooked in the January transfer window, when no money was spent and the former Liverpool and Real Madrid boss missed out on Andros Townsend, his number one target.

Benitez will redouble his efforts to take Newcastle back into the Premier League in the forthcoming months. He would confirm only that he will address the situation at the end of the campaign, when there is expected to be communication with Ashley, but significantly he said he would not deal in ifs.

“I was not happy but we cannot change anything now,” he said. “I was not talking about if, if, if and I will not be saying “oh, in the future.”

“My future now is the next game and try to get promoted, and then, every week, things could change because if we win, it will be easier, lose and it will be more difficult so it makes no sense for me to talk about what happens in the future.

Newcastle were unable to re-sign Andros Townsend to Benitez's frustration (Getty)

“So what I want to say is that I am concentrating and focussed and I want to win every single game I can until the end of the season. We will have plenty of time to talk about what is going on and how to do things or whatever but I am not worrying about that and the fans have to understand this. The priority is to get the results we need to get promotion. I know exactly where we are now.

“I have so much experience that I have seen lots of situations in different clubs. What you have to do now is concentrate on what you can change - your team selection, your fitness.

“The other things, we have plenty of time to analyse and see what will happen. At the moment we need the fans behind the team and the players focussed. After - we will see.”

Benitez signed a three-year contract when he committed to the Championship side last year, on around £5 million-a-year. He gave guarantees about this season but none beyond, and it will need Ashley to back down dramatically for Benitez to stay.

“My priority is promotion,” said Benitez. “We must not make the same mistakes this club has made in the past. I will not quit. I will not leave.

“Imagine at the beginning of the season and someone said, ‘Listen, you will be second, one point behind the leader.’

Mike Ashley has started undermining Benitez's authority (Getty)

“You would say ‘yes.’ So the team, as a team is in a great position. We could be better but we could also be worse. You can see other teams that have been relegated and it is quite difficult so we have to realise that we are doing well. We were doing really, really well and now we have to be strong enough mentally to approach the rest of the season.”

It is expected that Newcastle fans, deeply concerned by the major threat to Benitez’s position at the club, will provide a vociferous backing for the Spaniard for the home game against Derby on Saturday.

“We have seen our fans making the difference,” he added. “Now is the time everyone has to realise that is the only way and the best way to do things. It is what I think, not what I have to say.

“The players that we have now, they will give everything. The fans need to be supporting the players and if a player makes a mistake, be sure that we support him. Everybody has to be behind the team and then we have more chances to get promoted.”