RAFAEL BENITEZ has challenged Daryl Murphy to make himself impossible to drop, with the Republic of Ireland international set to make his Newcastle United debut in this evening’s EFL Cup third-round tie with Wolves.

Murphy joined Newcastle in a £3m move from Ipswich Town in the final week of last month’s transfer window, but has not even been involved in a match-day squad since returning to the North-East.

The former Sunderland striker is set to start in a much-changed line-up tonight though as the Magpies look to make amends for Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Wolves by producing a markedly improved performance against the same opposition.

Murphy was part of a group of players that trained at Newcastle’s Benton training ground on Saturday morning, and his professional attitude helped convince Benitez to promote him to the starting XI.

“Daryl has not been involved because we had other strikers, and we were winning,” said the Newcastle manager. “But he has been really good in the training sessions, so we will see if he can do the same during the games.

“He is a player with experience in this competition (the Championship), and who has scored goals at this level. What I have seen from him is a confirmation of what people told me – he is a good professional who is very positive for the team.

“He has not been involved yet, but he has been training really well and that is an example for other players to follow. Even at his age, he is still playing at international level and doing well.”

Murphy is involved in a three-way battle for the lone striker spot in Benitez’s side, with Dwight Gayle and Aleksandar Mitrovic having pushed their claims in the opening month of the season.

Benitez has changed the identity of his striker in each of Newcastle’s last five matches, but the Spaniard insists it should not be assumed that he will continue chopping and changing throughout the rest of the campaign.

If Murphy was to embark on a lengthy scoring spell, Benitez would be more than happy to keep him in the starting line-up.

“It could be that one striker does so well that we have to keep him in the team,” he said. “Ayoze (Perez) and Jonjo (Shelvey) did so well in the game at QPR that I felt I had to keep them in the team (on Saturday). It is not the case that you are simply changing players because you feel like you have to.

“Some players will continue playing in the team if they do well, although it depends on the position and the competition we are in.

“It could be that you have one striker scoring a lot of goals, but you have another training so well that they have to get a chance. But it could be that one player keeps on scoring and stays in the team. It is about finding the balance between rotating and choosing the right team for every game.”

There will be further changes tonight, with Karl Darlow set to replace Matz Sels, Ciaran Clark expected to return to the back four and Achraf Lazaar poised to make his debut at left-back.

Jack Colback will expect to be involved at the heart of midfield, while Yoan Gouffran could return to action, having been an unused substitute at the weekend. As things stand, Vurnon Anita will serve the first game of a three-match ban, although Newcastle have appealed against the full-back’s weekend dismissal.

Cheick Tiote will not be involved, although Benitez has hinted the midfielder could still have a Newcastle future if the world’s remaining transfer windows close with him still on the club’s books. A potential move to Qatar failed to come to fruition earlier this month, and if Tiote does not move in the next fortnight or so, Benitez will begin to reintegrate him into the squad.

“Cheick will not be involved in this game, but I am pleased with him,” he said. “He knows this is still a time where we are waiting a little bit to see what happens. He has been training well, but we haven’t thought about him for this game.

“He will get a chance if nothing happens in the next few days and weeks. If nothing happens, we will have to do something with him because he is someone I like. If we have some information that clubs are interested, we will analyse that. If not, he is a player that can give us experience.”

Benitez has never won the League Cup, with his closest call coming when he led Liverpool to a 3-2 defeat to Chelsea in the final of the competition in 2005, and even though Newcastle are tackling this year’s tournament as a Championship side, he sees no reason why he should not be able to complete one of the few remaining gaps on his managerial CV.

“Two games a week is not a problem,” he said. “It’s something you have to manage, and you do it. I have experience of it at different levels in different competitions, and I am used to it.

“The cup competitions are a chance to win something. We know the reality is that this is not easy, but we will select a team that can win the game and, if you keep winning, you will be closer and then maybe you have to analyse the games slightly differently.

“It’s not easy (to win) or go to a final, especially with the level of the teams in the Premier League. But it’s a good opportunity and if you are in the competition, you have to try.”

Newcastle (possible, 4-2-3-1): Darlow; Yedlin, Lascelles, Clark, Lazaar; Hayden, Colback; Atsu, Perez, Gouffran; Murphy.