Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez is demanding better from Matt Ritchie - despite his impressive form.

Newcastle, who face former boss Chris Hughton at Brighton today, have won their last three games with Ritchie inspirational.

So has tough taskmaster Benitez been impressed?

“Not too much, to be fair, because we knew what he could do,'' he said.

“Our first signings here were Matt and Dwight Gayle and I was asking people with experience in the Championship, and they said, 'He's definitely a signing'. When I was talking with Matt, he was very keen to come here. We did the deal and we saw him every day, the passion, the intensity and how competitive he is.

“We saw all that in his first season here, so it's no surprise as we've seen him every day, playing and training with the same passion, commitment and he has quality. He's a player who has confidence, he knows his strengths and he plays on his strengths, so I think he's someone who is doing well but still, believe me, he can do better.''