RAFA: GUTHRIE'S A QUALITY PLAYER

Rafael Benitez has hailed the progress made by young midfielder Danny Guthrie and described him as a 'player with quality'. The Academy graduate's fine form at reserve level has been rewarded this season with a call-up to the first team ranks.

He's shone on each occasion he's played and is in line to make his Champions League debut against Galatasaray tonight.

"We knew Danny was a good player and he was playing well in the reserve team," says Benitez.

"I think he's improving this year. Last year he tried hard, but now he has more experience and you can see he has more confidence. "Sometimes young players need time, they need to be mature and to understand the game and understand that the manager will sometimes ask them to play full back or something, to play out of position. "He needs to know what he has to do for our team, for our tactics.

I told him (against Wigan) to keep his position, to go forward against them but not straight in and be disciplined. "He was a little bit nervous, but you could see that he was a player with quality."