Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has assured fans that, as part of his new contract with the club, he will have full responsibility of football-related business at the club.

The Spaniard committed his future to the Magpies on Wednesday and claimed that his relationship with much-criticised managing director Lee Charnley has been 'really good'.

Magpies managers in recent times have been forced to operate underneath owner Mike Ashley but Benitez suggests that will not be the case with him.

"Football business I will have responsibility for, but the main thing for me is that I have the assurances that we will have a strong team, we will have a winning team," he told the club's official website after signing a three-year deal at St James' Park.

"The fans have to be sure that I will try to build a strong squad, a strong team, and if I am here it is because I am sure we can do it.

"My relationship with Lee Charnley has been really good, and I'm really pleased to be working with him. I haven't seen any problems in terms of when I was asking for something. They were trying to give me what I wanted and in this case, when we were talking about the future, it was quite positive so I'm really pleased about that.

"It seems to me that everything is being done in a football way, and I am a football man, so for me that is really, really important."