Christian Atsu believes Rafa Benitez is "more than a manager" to the Newcastle United squad - and has revealed that even the kitchen staff at the club's training ground want the Spaniard to stay.
The 59-year-old is into the final two months of his Magpies contract and, although he is in discussions with the club over signing an extension, Benitez is yet to receive the assurances he wants before committing his future to United.
Atsu was brought to St James' Park by Benitez during the summer of 2016, initially on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea, and helped Newcastle win the Championship, before joining permanently for a £6million fee.
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The winger has scored eight goals in 95 appearances for United since, and credits Benitez for the progress he has made in his career since moving to Tyneside.
Interestingly, however, Atsu stresses that Benitez's influence stretches far beyond tactics and football alone; the United manager is also like a father figure to members of the first-team squad, and insists he has helped them develop as human beings, too.
In Atsu's opinion, therefore, the vast majority of the Magpies squad want Benitez to stay beyond the end of the season.
“Rafa is more than a manager to us; the way he helps us even outside football - because he believes there is more to a footballer than just going on the pitch to deliver," Atsu told The Mirror.
“Obviously, it’s hard for me to speak for everyone in the locker room, but I can say we are all very happy with him and his coaching staff.
“It’s clear the players want him to stay and it's not just the playing body; you go into the kitchen for lunch, and the way he relates to the kitchen staff and their response to him - it is so clear that everyone, even the fans, want him to remain here for a long time.”
Having impressed as a youngster in Portugal with Porto and Rio Ave, Atsu was signed by Chelsea in September 2013 for £3.5m.
But, after a successful spell at Vitesse Arnhem in the Netherlands, the Ghana international did not make a single appearance for Chelsea - and instead struggled during loans at Everton, AFC Bournemouth and Malaga.
Then came the offer from Benitez to join Newcastle and, since that moment, Atsu feels he has finally been afforded a regular opportunity - and, although he had lost his starting place to January signing Miguel Almiron before the Paraguayan suffered a hamstring injury, the Ghanaian is grateful to United for giving him a regular opportunity to play in the Premier League .
“Football is always about chances and, when you have the chance, you have to take it, work hard and keep going," Atsu - who scored his first goal of the season, and delivered arguably his most-impressive performance in black-and-white stripes during Saturday's 3-2 defeat to Liverpool - said of his difficult experience at Chelsea.
"The problem is sometimes players find it very difficult to find the right club and, when they do, it’s harder to find the right coach to give them the chance to play.
“Then there are the rare cases of when a player goes to a particular club and, no matter what he does, things just don’t go well for him.
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“In my situation the only choice I had was to continue working hard and knowing that I would find what I want, and then Newcastle came along.
"I worked hard then when the opportunities started coming - I listened to the manager and gave my best.
“Everywhere you find yourself there is a reason you are there and, for me at that time, maybe I was meant to learn something from there.”
In recent months, racism in football has captured the headlines once again, following high-profile incidents where the likes of Raheem Sterling and Danny Rose have been allegedly abused.
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Atsu has revealed that he too has encountered racism, including while playing in England, and the fact that such abhorrent attitudes still persist in 2019 leaves the winger - who is a deeply emotional character - extremely upset.
“I have seen racism in the Premier League, the Spanish La Liga and everywhere I have played," Atsu said.
"It’s just that there are people who still think that we have to be divided as a result of our background or the colour of our skin.
“For me I just think it’s so sad and a real reflection of the hate in this world because it’s so easy for us all to live in love, and as one, but some people don’t want that. It’s truly sad."
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