THE relegation battle is going to the wire, but Georginio Wijnaldum claims he has already won his biggest fight of the season – convincing Rafael Benitez he is worth a place in Newcastle United’s starting line-up.

This has not been an easy season for the reigning Dutch Footballer of the Year, who was trumpeted as a potentially transformative signing when he moved from PSV Eindhoven last summer, but who has struggled to translate last year’s eye-catching displays in the Eredivisie to the more competitive climes of the Premier League.

Two-and-a-half weeks ago, Wijnaldum was dropped to the bench for the first time in his Newcastle career as the Magpies claimed an impressive 1-1 draw with Manchester City. The following weekend, the 25-year-old found himself back amongst the replacements as Benitez’s side kicked off at Anfield.

Forty-five minutes later, however, and with Newcastle trailing by two goals he was summoned to replace Ayoze Perez and went on to play a major role in the second-half recovery that secured a 2-2 draw that could prove crucial in the outcome of the battle to remain in the top-flight.

Cutting in from the left-hand side, he showed glimpses of the creative vision that persuaded Newcastle’s recruitment team to shell out £14.5m to sign him in the first place. Back in the starting line-up, he was influential again as his side hauled themselves out of the bottom three with last weekend’s priceless 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Time will tell whether he retains his place again for this afternoon’s game at Aston Villa, but with Newcastle desperately needing to claim all three points against the worst side in the division, Benitez will surely be tempted to name as many of his key attacking players as possible.

The Newcastle boss could be forgiven for remaining sceptical about Wijnaldum’s willingness to buy into the work ethic that is an essential component of being a success in the Premier League, but he appears to be increasingly convinced by the Dutchman’s ability to offer a creative threat.

“As a player you can’t do anything else but work hard,” said Wijnaldum, who has not scored since January’s 2-1 win over West Ham United. “You have to show the trainer that he is wrong.

“The trainer makes the decision. Every player thinks he deserves to play but it is up to the trainer to make that decision. It is how you react. I was disappointed to be on the bench for two games, but I had to stay positive, work hard and that is what I did.”

Having scrambled out of the bottom three last weekend, Newcastle will be back in the relegation zone by the time they kick off at Villa Park if Norwich City beat Manchester United in today’s lunch-time kick off.

Even if the Canaries slip up against Louis van Gaal’s side, Newcastle will have to match Sunderland’s result against Chelsea in order to guarantee remaining in 17th position, but with both of their relegation rivals continuing to have a game in hand, it is surely essential that the Magpies claim what would be their first away win since mid-December when they take on a Villa side who have lost 11 games in succession.

Aston Villa’s supporters are planning a series of protests before and during today’s game, with a pre-match march due to finish in front of the directors’ entrance and a mass release of 74 beach balls and 2,500 balloons scheduled for the 74th minute.

It remains to be seen how the demonstrations affect a group of players that will be ripped apart come the end of the season, but while Villa have claimed just 16 points, there were signs in last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at Watford that the freedom afforded by already being relegated could enable Eric Black’s side to cast off the shackles and commit to all-out attack.

“They will play to win,” said Wijnaldum. “They will not be thinking, ‘We are already relegated so we will leave everything’. They will give us a good game.

“We have to be focused and be prepared, and it will not be easy. But we have to win otherwise Sunderland and Norwich will go above us.

“We have to win like we did on Saturday - we need to follow that up with another victory or the win against Palace will not mean as much. If we don’t, then we will give the other teams an opportunity to stay up instead of us. We have to keep going and stay focused.”