Monday 16 May 2016 22:05, UK
If Rafael Benitez stays at Newcastle this summer he can turn the club back into a Premier League force, according to Sky Sports expert Jamie Carragher.
The 56-year-old took over from Steve McClaren in March with 10 games remaining but was unable to stop the Magpies from dropping into the Championship.
It was the end of a difficult five months for Benitez, who was sacked in January by Real Madrid, seven months into a three-year contract.
Despite being in charge when Newcastle were relegated, he has done enough in his short time at the club to win over fans and players, with a 5-1 demolition of Tottenham on the final day of the season a notable highlight.
The big question on Tyneside now is whether chairman Mike Ashley can convince him to stay and lead the Magpies' quest to return to the Premier League.
Jamie Carragher believes Benitez can be be swayed due to a lack of other options and says he has the ability to turn around the fortunes of the North East club.
"He has managed all around the world, top teams and it might be difficult for him to get a top job right now and I don't think there is many out there," Carragher told the Premier League 15/16 Season Review show.
"What happened at Real Madrid might put some of the top clubs off.
"He's got a big decision now. Ideally he doesn't want to be managing in the Championship but I think Newcastle would have got into him a little bit in terms of reaction from the fans. They were singing his name even when they were struggling in games.
"It's a bit like Newcastle can't believe they have got a coach who is at that level, who has managed Real Madrid, who's been managing Cristiano Ronaldo and wants to manage Newcastle.
"You can't believe a manger of that stature would be managing in the Championship. He has got to be thinking about how far he can take Newcastle if he can get them out in 12 months, with the money and the revenue.
"It's unfortunate that they have gone down but if he can do 12 months and get them up he could really do something."
