Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez unsure on Dwight Gayle injury
Tuesday 21 February 2017 11:21, UK
Rafa Benitez says it's "too soon" to judge how long Dwight Gayle will be out for after the Newcastle striker was forced off in the first half of their 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
Gayle, who was making his first start after more than a month, appeared to suffer a recurrence of the same hamstring injury at St James' Park on Monday night, and was replaced by Aleksandar Mitrovic in the first half.
"It seemed liked it could be the same [injury]," Benitez told Sky Sports. "We'll have to check but it's too soon to say anything."
Aside from the Gayle injury, Benitez was pleased with his side's display as Yoan Gouffran and Henri Lansbury's own goal sent them back to the top of the Sky Bet Championship.
"The idea was to play as well as possible because then you have more chances to win games," said Benitez. "It was a difficult first half. They were pressing quite high and when we scored the goal you could see in the second half they were more open and we could play like we wanted to.
"[After half-time] we were focused on not making mistakes and giving them any chances, win some second balls we weren't winning and have more control of the game.
"They have great players and we knew it could be difficult, but at the same time we know to keep going and keep pushing then we'll have chances."
Newcastle have three massive trips coming up to fellow promotion rivals Brighton, Huddersfield and Reading, but Benitez insists their immediate attention is focused on their game with Bristol City on Saturday.
"The main thing is Bristol City and after we'll think about the others," he said. "We'll enjoy today a little bit and then prepare for the next game. it's one game at a time."
