RAFAEL BENITEZ has spoken of his pride at guiding Newcastle United back into the Premier League at the first time of asking – but refused to confirm he would definitely be in charge at the start of next season.

Newcastle’s promotion was confirmed as they beat Preston 4-1 at St James’ Park, and the Magpies could yet finish the season as champions if they win their remaining two matches against Cardiff and Barnsley.

An emotional Benitez strode onto the St James’ Park pitch at the final whistle and celebrated passionately in front of the Gallowgate End, but it did not take long for the simmering tensions behind the scenes at St James’ Park to once again become apparent.

Benitez will hold talks with Mike Ashley in the next few weeks to discuss his transfer plans for the close season, and the Spaniard will seek a range of assurances before committing his long-term future to the Magpies.

Having been frustrated at Newcastle’s lack of investment in the January transfer window, and with continued doubts over the influence of chief scout Graham Carr, Benitez will seek to reinforce his supremacy when he meets with Ashley and Lee Charnley, and while he was delighted at his side’s promotion success, he was unwilling to offer any guarantees about the future.

When asked whether he would be leading Newcastle back into the Premier League in August, Benitez said: “You never know, that is football. I am really pleased to be here, and really happy and proud for everything we have achieved. Hopefully, we can put in the foundations for something that will be a guarantee for the future.

“Now is the time to enjoy what we have done. I am sure if we do the right things...We have to prepare everything to be strong enough for the Premier League. We have to wait and enjoy it, play another two games and see where we are.”

Newcastle are only the second club in the last seven seasons to have secured automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but the squad will clearly need reinforcing if it is to survive in the top-flight.

Former skipper Alan Shearer expects Benitez to demand substantial funds once the transfer window reopens, and has urged Ashley, who was not on Tyneside last night, to support his manager.

“Rafael Benitez is a huge figure at the club, and he loves the place,” said Shearer. “He loves the passion of the fans. He’s very experienced and he’s done the job he set out to do.

“I’m sure he’ll demand that the team has to be improved, and he’ll demand a few quid to do that now. You can’t stand still now.

“I’m sure Rafael will ask for funds to massively improve the team. People will realise that the team will need improving if they want to get into the top half of the Premier League.”

For now, though, Benitez is determined to celebrate his players’ achievements, having agreed to remain in his current role despite last season’s relegation.

Newcastle were strong favourites to achieve automatic promotion at the start of the campaign, and while they started slowly with back-to-back defeats, they have not been out of the top two since the middle of October.

“It feels really good,” said Benitez. “I’m really proud of everyone because we knew it would be difficult at the beginning, when everyone was saying, ‘Rafa has no experience of the Championship and it will be tough’.

“They were right, it was very difficult, but the commitment and hard work of the players every day, and the staff and everyone involved, and then the support of the fans, made a massive difference.

“It is a day we have to remember because it is not easy to go down, and then come straight back up first time. We know that from experience. We have 88 points, and that says it all. We have to be pleased to go up and try to enjoy it.”

Benitez has long cited the gruelling Championship schedule as one of the toughest things about life in the second tier, and he claims Newcastle’s lofty status also added to the challenge of finishing in the top two.

“Some people don’t realise how difficult it is when you go to play against teams who are in the middle of the table and playing for nothing, but they still fight and compete because they are playing against Newcastle United, who are the top side in the division,” he said.

“Or when they come here with 52,000 fans, and run and work so hard. It has been like that for every single game against us. We watched some teams and thought it might be easy against them, but then they were running double because they were playing us.

“It was more difficult than ever, and we have had that situation every week. But even when there were signs of anxiety, we reacted well.”