Rafa Benitez believes his bold assertion early in the season that Newcastle United had a stronger squad than last year has been vindicated following the Magpies' upturn in form during the second half of the campaign.
The United manager not only signed a joint-statement along with managing director Lee Charnley and captain Jamaal Lascelles declaring that the Magpies had ended the summer window in a stronger position than when they had started it, but Benitez also reiterated the comments during press conferences throughout the second half of 2018.
While the 58-year-old did stress that Newcastle were lacking quality in certain areas , the rationale behind his appraisal of his squad for the 2018/19 campaign was the increased depth across the majority of positions.
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Martin Dubravka and Kenedy had been re-joined, having bolstered the Magpies squad midway through the 2017/18 season, while the likes of Fabian Schar, Ki Sung-yueng, Salomon Rondon and Federico Fernandez brought both experience and additional characteristics United had previously been lacking.
Obviously, Miguel Almiron has made a significant difference since joining in January, too, and, even though Antonio Barreca has barely featured since arriving on loan mid-season, the Italian has given Benitez an additional option at left-wing-back.
Florian Lejeune's return to fitness at the turn of the year following knee-ligament surgery, as well as Sean Longstaff's emergence as a first-team player and Isaac Hayden's rediscovery of form, have also strengthened the Magpies further in recent months.
And, while Newcastle struggled during the first half of the season and even embarked upon a 10-game winless run right at the start of the campaign, Benitez believes his comments about the strength of his squad have proven to be correct, particularly considering United are already seven points clear of the relegation zone with seven games remaining.
"The reality is, I think some people didn't agree with me at the start of the season when I said the squad could be better if everything was fine," Benitez explained.
"[Yoshinori] Muto and Rondon were the key because they were new players. Then obviously from the squad from a year before we had Kenedy and Dubravka, that we didn't have the previous August.
"So my explanation, when some people said: 'Oh no, we don't agree.' It was about that. In terms of players, we had these players. Then we lost Lejeune, Hayden was not right at the beginning, Longstaff was not even there.
"Then after January we have Lejeune, we have Hayden, we have Longstaff, and the other players coming back from injuries, as well as Almiron and Barreca. So we are a little bit stronger than we were before.
"Maybe this one is not playing, but another one is doing well [so that makes us stronger overall]."
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The impact Lejeune has had on the United defence since his return to fitness has been profound, with the Frenchman having helped Newcastle claim 17 points from the 10 Premier League matches he has started following injury.
Benitez's decision to switch to a three-man defence in recent months has proven particularly effective ever since Lejeune became available, with the 27-year-old establishing an excellent partnership at the back alongside Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar.
Lejeune's ability to play the ball out from defence, as well as switch the point of attack with his precise cross-field passes, has helped turn Newcastle into a far more effective offensive side, particularly at St James' Park, where they have won five games in succession.
"Has it important for us to have Lejeune back? Yes, because it increases the competition," Benitez added of Lejeune.
"But also Lejeune, on the ball, you can see that he is quite good and makes a difference [in our play from the back]."
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