ALEKSANDAR MITROVIC hopes he will still be a Newcastle United player next season – but the striker admits he is still to discuss his long-term future with Rafael Benitez.

Mitrovic was part of the team that secured promotion back to the Premier League with a 4-1 win over Preston on Monday, but his first-team opportunities have been severely limited this season with Benitez clearly harbouring reservations about his abilities in front of goal.

The Serbian international has made just ten Championship starts, scoring four league goals, and with Benitez determined to oversee a major overhaul now promotion has been secured, his position has been called into question.

He signed a five-year deal when he made a £13m move from Anderlecht in the summer of 2015, but was linked with possible moves to Crystal Palace and West Ham during the January transfer window.

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He has also been courted by clubs in Italy and Turkey, but having spent the last nine months in the Championship, he does not want to leave Tyneside now top-flight football has returned to St James’ Park.

When asked whether he wanted to stay, he said: “Hopefully. We have to finish these two games, then I have the international team and then I will go on vacation.

“I will leave this to my father and my brother to see. I hope so, I’m happy here, but we’ll see.”

Much will depend on Benitez’s preferred course of action, and while the Newcastle boss will have earmarked attacking reinforcements as one of his key priorities this summer, he will also have to accept that he cannot replace everyone.

With mounting fitness doubts over Dwight Gayle, and with Daryl Murphy having recently turned 34, Benitez may well decide that Mitrovic will be a useful squad asset given his previous experience of playing in the Premier League.

The Magpies hierarchy have previously been reluctant to consider selling Mitrovic as they regard him as a key asset, and the 22-year-old will hold talks over his future once he has completed his post-season international commitments with Serbia.

“There have not been any conversations (about his future) yet,” said Mitrovic. “We are really focused to finish this season in the way we want and the way we started.

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“Then I will go on vacation, but I want to finish this season and make sure we continue further than just going into the Premier League, then I will have the national team. It’s a really long year for me so I need a vacation, I need to rest from football and from everything.”

Benitez’s own future has been the subject of mounting debate after the Magpies manager refused to commit himself to leading Newcastle back into the Premier League in the wake of Monday’s promotion success.

The Spaniard is clearly anticipating some difficult transfer discussions with Mike Ashley, although it remains to be seen whether yesterday’s developments, which saw investigators from HMRC raid St James’ Park and arrest managing director Lee Charnley as part of a major investigation into tax and National Insurance fraud, affect the situation.

What is not in question is Benitez’s successful impact this season, and Mitrovic has hailed both his boss’ tactics and transfer policy in the aftermath of relegation.

“He brings the right players in,” said the striker. “The good players he wanted, and the ones who have been a success for us. Players with Championship experience have helped us - they know how to manage the game and to play in the Championship.

“This is a really physical league, and you have to be 100 per cent motivated every game and to play 95 minutes against every team. He brought the right players in, and tactically he has been good.  He is liked by the players and I can say I have learned a lot from him. I hope he stays.”