Here are your Newcastle United evening headlines for Tuesday, September 20.
Benitez on rejecting offers to leave Newcastle
Rafa Benitez has revealed he had plenty of offers to leave Newcastle during his time as Magpies manager but snubbed moves elsewhere because of the club's passionate supporters.
The Spaniard endured a tumultuous time on Tyneside that eventually resulted in him walking away after three full seasons at St James' Park. Previous owner Mike Ashley consistently refused to back Benitez with the players and funding he wanted, which saw the ex-Liverpool boss finally part ways with Newcastle rather than signing a new deal in 2019.
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Benitez now admits it was the fans that stopped him from jumping ship earlier, despite some lucrative offers elsewhere presenting themselves during his time in the North East.
Botman snubs Holland U21s to focus on Newcastle
Newcastle centre-back Sven Botman has withdrawn from the Holland Under-21 squad - because he wants to focus solely on playing for the Magpies.
The 22-year-old has been overlooked by Louis Van Gaal for the Dutch national side for games in the UEFA Nations League and instead was picked again for the U21s for friendly matches against Belgium and Romania. Botman though has pulled out of Erwin van de Looi's squad this morning.
Botman told the Dutch FA that he wants to focus "exclusively" on Newcastle at this time. The centre-back was dropped by Eddie Howe for the 1-1 draw against AFC Bournemouth.
Pope confident of more England call-ups for Newcastle
Nick Pope is confident that Newcastle will soon be enjoying more England call-ups due to the ambition around St James' Park these days.
It was United's vision in the transfer market that resulted in World Cup-bound Pope making the move from Burnley in the summer. United beat off interest from West Ham and Nottingham Forest to land the 30-year-old stopper.
Pope could be named as England's No. 1 for crucial UEFA Nations League games against Italy and Germany. Pope thinks having ambitious owners can help the cause of others pushing for an international cap.
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