Manager Rafael Benitez has suggested that Newcastle United will look to promote players from the academy in order to aid their progress up the Premier League table.

Since arriving at St James' Park, Benitez has been forced to work with a tight transfer budget, and the current season will be considered a success if the club can remain in the top flight.

However, Benitez has indicated that he is already looking to the future, and has said that bringing through players from the youth setup would be a way of helping the North-East giants compete in the transfer market.

The 57-year-old told Chronicle Live: "The Championship quality compared to Premier League is massively different. Once you're back in the Premier League - that's like a new start. So we had to start all over again with all of these things. We're trying to do it in the way I like to work. It is to analyse.

"We are analysing the potential of the academy and to see if we can change something so that we can have more players coming from that end.

"We can't compete at this level unless you spend massive money or if you can bring players from the academy that can guarantee some passion, better ways, and to save money from a transfer fee."

Paul Dummett and Rolando Aarons are the only two academy graduates who have featured in the Premier League this season.