RAFAEL BENITEZ is working on a deal to bring Andros Townsend back to Newcastle United at a time when the man who he followed to St James’ Park still has his team-mates purring.

Townsend has struggled to make an impact at Crystal Palace since moving to Selhurst Park in the summer for £13m; just seven months after Steve McClaren had convinced him to move to Tyneside.

Now Newcastle have let it be known to Palace they are interested in taking him back to the North-East, albeit on loan with a view to a permanent deal should promotion be secured in the summer.

There is also other interest in Townsend from the Premier League, with Middlesbrough among those being kept up-to-date with the situation. The likelihood is, though, that Eagles boss Sam Allardyce will allow the England winger to leave, so it will just be if Newcastle can strike the right deal.

When the 27-year-old moved to Newcastle a year ago he completed the switch from Tottenham 15 days after Jonjo Shelvey had been transferred from Swansea City.

Shelvey has developed into the most important player under Rafael Benitez, dictating play from central midfield with his wide-ranging passes.

The £10m man was back in the Newcastle midfield in the FA Cup on Wednesday after serving a five-match ban and he didn’t take any time to get into the groove again. He had a part to play in all three goals and also went close a couple of times himself.

DeAndre Yedlin, Newcastle’s American wide-man, knows how important Shelvey is in the battle to stay in the Championship’s top two.

Yedlin said: “It’s huge getting him back. He’s a key player for our squad and we saw that on Wednesday. We’re all very happy to have him back. We’re just looking forward to having him for the rest of the season.”

Newcastle had only won one of the four matches Shelvey missed and that enabled Brighton to take command at the top of the table. He will be back on the league team-sheet against Rotherham tomorrow.

Yedlin said: “He’s the kind of player who can control games single-handedly so he’s a great guy to have on your team. He’s bought in and he wants the best for the team, which is very important. I guess we’re very happy and fortunate to have him.”

Yedlin was in his preferred right-back role on Wednesday when Newcastle overcame Birmingham City in the FA Cup third round replay, despite making eight changes. They now face Oxford at the Kassam Stadium on January 28, meaning the league trip to Brighton has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 28 (7.45pm).

Yedlin said: “The FA Cup is very important. It’s another opportunity to win a trophy so you want to be the best you can at it. Oxford doesn’t make it any easier a game. If anything playing at those lower league places can be very hostile so it might even be a tougher game than if we played a team from a higher league.

“We’re going to be ready for it and prepare but right now the focus is on Rotherham.

“I think I could have been a bit more lethal with my crosses against Birmingham but at the end of the day they didn’t have too many chances. The goal they did score I think I could have closed the guy down a bit better but it happens and you learn. The most important thing is we got the win.”

Benitez handed debuts to Dan Barlaser, Yasin Ben El-Mhanni and Stuart Findlay against Birmingham. Yedlin said: “It put a bit more responsibility on the rest of us because they came in and were nervous.

“They want to do the best they can so you try to give them as much confidence as possible and if they make mistakes, keep them positive and be positive with them.

“I applaud all of them. I think they all three had very good performances. It’s exciting to see the young talent coming through the system.”