Isaac Hayden could yet be forced out of Newcastle United.

Hayden was attracting interest from Aston Villa and hankers after a move further south, close to his young family, says the Evening Chronice. But he has knuckled down after a bad start to the season and played well through a January period where he had re-asserted his desire to leave, only to see Newcastle's failed move for Andreas Samaris effectively end those hopes in the final days of the transfer window.

Benitez said: “I think you could see his commitment was there on the pitch. He was fine, he was good. The training sessions yesterday, he scored a lot of goals in the five-a-side, so I think he is quite focused now, he is enjoying playing and it's okay.

“Maybe in the future, it will be another thing, but at the moment, he knows he cannot go and he is quite happy because he is enjoying himself playing."