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Newcastle's Benitez wants to compete for trophies

Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Rafa Benitez envisages many more years in management but would like to compete for silverware again.

The Spaniard's contract at Newcastle United is set to expire at the end of the season and there's no news of an agreement being close between the two parties.

Benitez revealed in January he'd turned down good offers to stay with the Magpies, but from this summer would like to revive his knack of plundering silverware rather than being embroiled in relegation battles.

"I like to - and I want to - compete for trophies," Benitez said, according to BBC Sport. "The best trophy is the Champions League, so I would like to have the possibility in the next 11 years to win the Champions League."

Benitez first boosted his curriculum vitae with Valencia, where he led the club to two La Liga titles and hoisted the UEFA Cup. He followed that with two major domestic cups, the Europa League, the Champions League, and the UEFA Super Cup through his stints with Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea, and Napoli.

The gaffer picked up a trophy with Newcastle when he won the Championship in 2017, therefore engineering an instant return to the Premier League for the then-ailing club.

"Yesterday I was talking with a friend - 11 years," Benitez, 59, replied when asked how long he planned to continue in the game. "Eleven years as a manager, that's fine. You can see (Crystal Palace manager) Roy Hodgson is still there (at 71).

"I like to manage teams, I like to coach players, so I'm happy with that. Always I say, we are forward thinking. My staff, they are young people and we are always thinking about how to improve things."

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