Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has shrugged off the England snub for his players Jonjo Shelvey and Jamaal Lascelles.

Newcastle skipper Lascelles and midfielder Shelvey have been in impressive form in the fight to pull clear of relegation trouble.

And Benitez said: “I am disappointed for them but at the same time I am happy for us.

“It means we can keep them with us and we can carry on working on the things that we need for the rest of the season.

“Jamaal is a young player, Jonjo has more experience. They have plenty of time. If they keep going and get more experience, they have time to go to the national team in future."