YOU can learn a lot about a manager from the way in which he conducts himself after the final whistle.

Jose Mourinho’s narcissistic streak is never far from the surface in the aftermath of a game, with his touchline histrionics ensuring that the post-match story is generally about him. Jurgen Klopp tends to be a bundle of energy, hurtling on to the field to celebrate or commiserate with his players. In the Championship, Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo is clearly a rabble-rouser, unafraid of ruffling feathers or making enemies.

Rafael Benitez is different. Win, lose or draw, his post-match routine never changes. First, he rises slowly to his feet, methodically placing his glasses back into their case. Next, it’s a handshake and maybe a quick word with the opposition boss. Then, while a multitude of emotions are swirling around him, he picks out one of his players, puts an arm around their shoulder, and talks them through something they have done in the game.

No shouting and screaming, no playing to the camera. Just a supreme coach and man-manager imparting a nugget of information. A small observation perhaps, but one that helps explain why Benitez has been able to meticulously create stability and togetherness at Newcastle when so many of his predecessors have failed.

We have reached the time of year when it is customary to discuss candidates for the Manager of the Year award, and when it comes to the Premier League, conversations are understandably being dominated by Pep Guardiola and Sean Dyche.

Regardless of Manchester City’s recent wobble, Guardiola has moulded a side that will win the title at a canter. Dyche, in less financially-extravagant circumstances, has guided Burnley into the top half of the table when a relegation battle looked inevitable at the start of the campaign. In their own way, both would be perfectly justified winners.

Benitez deserves to be part of the debate too, though, partly because of his achievements in terms of improving a side that looked ill-equipped to survive in the top-flight after such little investment last summer, and partly because of his ability to flourish in the politically-poisoned atmosphere that still exists at St James’ Park.

This has been a trying 12 months on Tyneside, and lesser men than Benitez would have crumbled amid the subterfuge and back-biting that passes for executive-level management at Newcastle.

Last summer’s broken promises seem less significant now, with the Magpies sitting in tenth and on the verge of guaranteeing their safety, but Benitez was understandably hurt when so many of his targets were either ignored or abandoned. He felt promises had been broken, but while he said enough to make his displeasure clear, he refused to create the kind of full-blown crisis that might well have scuppered Newcastle’s season.

The end of last year brought more disruption, with Amanda Staveley’s failed takeover bid dominating the agenda. Benitez had to play a clever political game, but he astutely trod a delicate balance between privately supporting an approach he hoped would succeed and publicly refraining from being too aggressive towards Mike Ashley. Ultimately, his efforts helped hold Newcastle together when the club could easily have ripped itself apart.

By avoiding the kind of implosion that has been all too common in recent years, Benitez was able to focus on the task of leading a side that featured very few changes from the team that was playing in the Championship. It is also the second-youngest starting line-up in the Premier League, a fact that was easily overlooked when results took a turn for the worse in the autumn.

In December, when a defeat at Arsenal saw Newcastle drop into the bottom three, relegation looked likely. The fact it has effectively been avoided with six games to spare speaks volumes for Benitez’s work on the training ground, and his unshakeable belief in the effectiveness of his methods.

Quite rightly, a succession of Newcastle managers have been accused of failing to improve the players they have been managing. Big-money signings have arrived with lofty reputations, and left with their career in tatters.

This season, the opposite has happened. Players written off at other clubs, or even by Newcastle’s own fans, have been reborn. DeAndre Yedlin and Paul Dummett, regarded as weak links at the start of the season, now integral parts of one of the Premier League’s most reliable back fours. Jamaal Lascelles? Once seen as an accident waiting to happen, now an inspirational leader deserving of an England cap. Mo Diame? A figure of fun at the start of the campaign, but not anymore. Jonjo Shelvey, Ayoze Perez, Matt Ritchie, Dwight Gayle – all previously regarded as ‘decent Championship players’, now shining brightly in the top-flight.

Benitez’s coaching has wrought that improvement, but crucially he has also persuaded his players to buy in to a team ethic that results in them being the functioning cogs in a unit far greater than the sum of its parts.

That is Benitez’s biggest achievement, moulding a side containing players who are willing to constantly give everything in pursuit of a common cause. It sounds simple, but as long-term Newcastle watchers will acknowledge, it has proved impossible to enact in the past.

Too many previous Newcastle dressing rooms have been ego-dominated arenas for one-upmanship. So many players have passed through the doors in a hurry, looking for a quick stop before heading off somewhere else. Benitez has ended that ‘stepping stone’ mentality, instead engendering a sense of pride and responsibility in wearing the black-and-white shirt.

Whether that would survive major investment would be interesting to see, but Benitez’s handling of Kenedy, a player with a fair amount of baggage, suggests he could retain his squad’s shared sense of purpose while adding new names.

That will be the challenge for next season, but for now, Benitez can prepare to celebrate safety. That might not be the same as winning the title, and it might not match Burnley’s European push. In the hinterland of North-East football, though, it represents a remarkable achievement. Up here, Benitez is unquestionably the Manager of the Year.