Benitez: 'We need to forget about the summer'

The summer at the Tyneside club seemed to be full of drama, with the player's briefly striking, the manager refusing to sign a new contract and the fans being outraged at the club's transfer policy.

Now with the season well under way, and with the 'Toon' having secured just one point from their first two games, Rafa Benitez is keen for the off-field dramas to be left behind.

"I have to put everything into training sessions. For now, we have to concentrate on what we can influence." the former Real Madrid and Napoli manager said.

"The understanding between players has to be good and we must be sure that we can compete and be stronger for the future. Hopefully it will be more than one point after five games, but I would still be confident we can do well.

"All the things that happened during the summer, we have to forget now and concentrate on football."

His Newcastle side face a tough run of fixtures, as they play Chelsea on Sunday before playing defending champions Man City next weekend.