Midfielder Matt Ritchie has claimed that Newcastle United must reach 40 points to guarantee their Premier League status for another year.

Newcastle have earned 13 points from their last half-a-dozen fixtures in the top flight, with Saturday's victory over Leicester City leaving the club 10 points above the relegation zone.

However, Ritchie has said that the Magpies still require one more triumph to seal their place at English football's top tier for a further 12 months.

The 28-year-old told NUTV: "We need to get to 40 points – we're not safe yet. We need to perform well, and with good performances – as you've seen – come results.

"We're on a fantastic run at the moment and I think it's gone under the radar a little bit – I think we've only been beaten by Manchester City twice and Liverpool in our last 13 or 14 games. I think we've been really solid and scored at good times, and today we did the same thing.

"Hopefully we can continue to win games, and now – instead of looking over our shoulder as everyone in the bottom half has been doing for the last six months or so – we can hopefully start trying to catch one or two in front of us."

Ritchie has contributed two goals and five assists in 29 Premier League outings this season.