Jonjo Shelvey has claimed that Newcastle United are "lucky" to have Rafael Benitez as their new manager.

The Spaniard, who was sacked by Real Madrid in January 4, signed a three-year deal on Friday, just hours after Steve McClaren was sacked by the club.

Shelvey already has experience working under Benitez as the midfielder was signed by him for Liverpool from Charlton Athletic in 2010.

"It's obviously sad to see Steve go because he brought me into the club and I owe so much to him for bringing me to this great football club, but ultimately it didn't work out for him here," Shelvey told the club's official website.

"But we've been lucky to get Rafa because he's a great organiser of teams and you hear things from ex-players about how great he is. It's just an exciting time for the fans and the players to learn more about Rafa Benitez and the way that he wants us to play.

"He must think a lot of the club to come in and take over. He's been at Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Napoli, Liverpool - he's been at all these top clubs, and I think it speaks so highly of the stature of this Club for him to take on an opportunity like this."

The North-East outfit are currently 19th in the Premier League table, one point from safety with 10 games left to play.