RAFAEL BENITEZ will do everything he can to keep Isaac Hayden on Tyneside beyond the end of the season, and has predicted the Newcastle United midfielder will go on to play for England.

Hayden’s long-term future remains the subject of some doubt, with the 23-year-old having flagged up a desire to leave the Magpies in each of the last two transfer windows because he would like to move south to be closer to his partner and young daughter.

Newcastle officials rebuffed a number of expressions of interest in both the summer and January windows, and after starting the season on the fringe of the first-team squad, Hayden has established as a permanent presence in the starting line-up in the last couple of months.

He is still keen to move on, and having reiterated his determination to secure a departure in a number of recent interviews, the former Arsenal trainee is expected to attract a number of offers come the end of the season.

Rafael Benitez’s own long-term plans are still far from certain, but if the Newcastle boss remains in his current position beyond the summer, he will be urging those above him to resist any offers for Hayden.

“When he (Hayden wanted to go, he was not happy,” said Benitez, ahead of this afternoon’s Premier League game at Bournemouth. “After, when he started playing games, he was playing well. So you can see his face every day – he’s enjoying himself.

“Will we keep him? Maybe. We have to wait. If he’s doing well and happy, you never know. The main thing for anyone in your job is to do well. If he’s playing and doing well, he’s enjoying himself.

“At the beginning, it was not easy for him. But we can have conversations about anything, and you can see that he’s enjoying (playing). It’s something that he will analyse at the end.”

Hayden was an important part of the Newcastle side that won promotion two seasons ago, but he struggled to make much of an impression in the Premier League last term and his Magpies career looked to be heading in completely the wrong direction when he was sent off at Cardiff City on his first appearance of the current campaign.

After his dismissal in South Wales, he made just three league appearances in the next four months, but he returned to the starting line-up when Newcastle suffered a midfield injury crisis in mid-December and has remained in the side ever since.

He has been keeping the likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Mo Diame and Ki Sung-yueng out of Benitez’s preferred XI, and while Sean Longstaff might have hogged the headlines after breaking into the first team at a similar stage of the season, Hayden has arguably been even more important as Newcastle have pulled six points clear of the drop zone.

His defensive capabilities have helped protect the Magpies’ defence, while his passing skills have enhanced Newcastle’s attacking threat.

England are hardly short of midfield options at the moment, with Gareth Southgate having recently called up Declan Rice after the West Ham youngster opted for the Three Lions ahead of the Republic of Ireland.

Hayden has not really been mentioned as a potential international, but if he maintains his current form, Benitez is confident he will be on Southgate’s radar.

“I think this group of players is giving everything, and he’s someone that, when he goes on the pitch, he can make mistakes like anyone, but he’s always giving everything. He has the right mentality.

“With his background coming from Arsenal, and the quality he had technically, he needed to understand his position. Sometimes, because he has this energy, he’s running to spaces he could avoid and maybe he could be in a better position. If he can improve that, he can be a much better player.

“I think he can play even better, but I have always thought he could do well, progress and be in the national team. He has the potential to play for England. He just needs to settle down and understand the game in another way. It’s a question of time.”

As well as Hayden being linked with a possible summer departure, Martin Dubravka has also been the subject of mounting transfer talk in the last couple of talks.

The goalkeeper’s agent, Pavel Zika, has used the Czech media to claim that Juventus are keen to sign the shot-stopper, along with a number of clubs in the Premier League, and flag up a desire to kick-start talks over a new contract at the end of the season.

It remains to be seen whether Mike Ashley is willing to sanction an improved deal, with Dubravka only having completed a permanent move from Sparta Prague in the summer, but Benitez is not too concerned about the ongoing speculation.

“I’m not really worried about Martin,” he said. “He’s very professional, he has to concentrate now and if he’s doing well, everyone knows he’s a good keeper. I can understand that some people are watching him and saying he’s a target for this team or another one. He's training well and I don't expect any surprises.”

Benitez will have to make changes for today’s game as Fabian Schar starts a two-match suspension and Jamaal Lascelles is also unavailable because of a knee injury sustained in last weekend’s win over Everton.

Federico Fernandez is set to return to the starting line-up, with Paul Dummett competing with Ciaran Clark for the other centre-half spot. Benitez could revert to a flat back four, but is expected to retain his current system with Matt Ritchie continuing at left wing-back.

Newcastle (probable, 3-4-3): Dubravka; Lejeune, Fernandez, Clark; Yedlin, Hayden, Ki, Ritchie; Perez, Rondon, Almiron.