RAFA Benitez has been giving a press conference ahead of this weekend's game against Bristol City.

On Dwight Gayle's injury 

“We don’t have a timescale for Dwight. He is doing really well and we are quite pleased with the situation now.

"But we cannot say how long he will be out for. He is not training, but all the tests we have done are quite positive, it is a question of his confidence more than anything. I think it will be less than four weeks.

"We have been watching the video (of the Aston Villa game) and we couldn’t see any situation where he was feeling real pain or problems. He was not comfortable, but all the tests we did before he played against Norwich, he was fine.

"The tests we have done after are okay. It is just a question of confidence, he has to feel that he is fine. Now, we just have to treat him and make sure he is comfortable.

“To lose your top scorer is not ideal, you miss something. But when (Daryl) Murphy and (Aleksandar) Mitrovic had to play they have done well, and we also have Ayoze (Perez). We can cope with that, but it would be better to have Dwight on the pitch competing with the others. I am quite positive.

“Could he be involved at Brighton? We have to see. He has to train so we can see the feeling that he has. If he feels fine, we will see what he wants to do."

On Murphy and Mitrovic

“I said before that Murphy did really well. I was very pleased with his commitment and effort, and he scored important goals. The same is true of Mitrovic. I am pleased with the reaction of both, and this competition is always good for the team."

On keeping Mitrovic in January

“I can read news about him all the time, that means someone close to him was interested to do business. But I said straight away that he would stay, and his reaction when he was not playing was brilliant. He fought for his position and I am happy with these kind of problems.

“If we do well, we will have a great advantage. If we do not do well, we will still have seven games in April and one in May. We have to carry on. If we do well, much better. If we cannot do what we want, we will still be in a great position.

On Claudio Ranieri losing his job at Leicester

“It’s obviously a surprise because after winning the title, and even playing well in the Champions League, it was surprising.

"I know Claudio from a long time ago. I am really surprised for a good coach, a good manager and a good friend.

"Football has changed a lot and people do not have memories. Hopefully, he can relax a bit and get a good job in the future."

On other injuries at the club

“We have been really lucky this year. We have (Isaac) Hayden with his ankle operation, but (Vurnon) Anita has been training and even Rolando Aarons with his ligament injury is training again now.”