Magpies manager confirms Grant Hanley deal is close after Doncaster draw

Wijnaldum made an 11-minute substitute appearance as Newcastle continued their pre-season preparations with a 2-2 draw at Doncaster Rovers this evening, with second-half goals from Isaac Hayden and Ayoze Perez enabling the Magpies to claw back a two-goal deficit.

• REPORT: Newcastle stage second-half recovery to draw at Doncaster

Liverpool have made a number of inquiries about Wijnaldum in the last few days, and are increasingly confident of wrapping up a £25m deal for the Holland international. Joe Allen is expected to complete a £13m move to Stoke City tomorrow, and Liverpool have earmarked Wijnaldum as a key part of their midfield restructuring.

Benitez will complete a signing of his own within the next 24 hours, with Grant Hanley due to undergo a medical tomorrow morning ahead of a £5.5m switch from Blackburn Rovers, but the Newcastle boss is adamant Wijnaldum will continue to represent his current employers until his departure from Tyneside is signed and sealed.

“I can’t really say anything other than that we will have to wait to see what happens,” said Benitez, who is also expected to sanction the departure of both Florian Thauvin and Moussa Sissoko in the next few weeks. “He is still our player and that means he has to be ready for us.

“If something happens (with Liverpool), we will know in some days. But until something changes, we will continue training and working with him, and we will continue playing him in the games.”

While Benitez was overseeing Newcastle’s first domestic pre-season outing in South Yorkshire, Hanley was on Tyneside ahead of a scheduled medical.

Having had two earlier bids rejected, the Magpies finally achieved a breakthrough when Blackburn officials accepted an improved £5.5m offer for the centre-half this afternoon.

Personal terms have already been agreed, so provided there are no unforeseen problems with the medical, Hanley should be confirmed as Newcastle’s sixth signing of the summer within the next 24 hours, enabling him to travel to Saturday’s friendly against Belgian side Sporting Lokeren as part of the squad.

He will compete with Chancel Mbemba, who is set to miss a sizeable chunk of next season because of the Africa Cup of Nations, and Jamaal Lascelles for a place in Benitez’s preferred starting line-up.

“It looks like it (Hanley’s transfer) could be close,” said the Magpies manager. “But we still have to wait because in football you always have to finalise things. At the moment, it is still a case of waiting with him.”

Tonight’s game saw Benitez run the rule over 21 different players, but whereas Newcastle had completely dominated their opening pre-season game against Irish side Bohemian last weekend, they did not have things their own way at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Indeed, the opening 45 minutes featured some especially alarming signs, with Newcastle’s general lack of height and physicality all too apparent against League Two opposition.

Adam Armstrong was a reasonably bright presence in attack, although the teenager wasted his side’s best first-half opening as he shot straight at goalkeeper Ross Etheridge after Daryl Janmaat released him through the middle.

Newcastle were already a goal behind at that stage, with the concession of Doncaster’s 19th-minute opener largely attributable to some dreadful goalkeeping from summer signing Matz Sels.

The Belgian, who made a £4.5m switch from Gent, miscontrolled the ball on the edge of his own six-yard box, then compounded the error by clattering into Rovers striker John Marquis as he attempted to punch clear.

Andy Williams converted from the spot, and added a second goal in first-half stoppage time as Newcastle’s defence went missing from a corner. Andy Butler was afforded the freedom of the penalty area, and while the defender’s header was drifting wide, Williams reacted quickest to glance home a header of his own from an acute angle.

Benitez made seven half-time alterations, and one of the replacements, Isaac Hayden, made an instant impact as he scored his first goal in a Newcastle shirt.

The £2.5m addition from Arsenal forced a corner with a smart low shot that was tipped around the post, and took full advantage as his first-time volley from the subsequent set-piece took a hefty deflection and looped into the net.

Ayoze Perez struck the base of the post after dribbling into the area with 16 minutes left, and the Spaniard levelled in the final minute as he turned neatly in the box before slotting home via another deflection.

“Normally you say you have two halves, and in this game it was very clear,” said Benitez. “In the first half we didn’t play at the level I was expecting, and we made two mistakes and conceded two goals.

“That gave them some hope that they could get a result. In the second half, we started playing like we wanted to play, passing the ball a little bit better and running behind defenders. It was a big difference. We had a lot of chances and their keeper was making some great saves.

“It was a massive mistake for both goals, but the good thing is that we can analyse these things now and try to find the reason why, and then the solutions.”