Not looking for a return to England now, discloses Rafael Benitez

Not looking for a return to England now, discloses Rafael Benitez

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Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has admitted that he is not looking for a return to the Premier League right now. The 59-year-old is in charge of Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang but has been linked with a move back to England with Arsenal, West Ham, and Everton in the mix.

Despite leaving Newcastle United at the end of last season for China, former Liverpool and Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez has still been linked with a return back to England. The 59-year-old reportedly did not like the way the Magpies’ owner Mike Ashley did things and even admitted in an interview with the Athletic that he no longer had faith or trust in the club’s hierarchy.

Yet despite a move to Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang, the 59-year-old has been heavily linked with a move back to England but Benitez admitted that he is not coming back right now. The Spaniard went on to admit that he’s happy with the Dalian Yifang project and he's looking to create something with the Chinese Super League side. But the former Chelsea boss further added that he might consider a move in the future back to the Premier League.

"Obviously in the future I would like to come back to Premier League, but at the moment I must be very clear, there is no chance I will come back now. I am happy, really pleased, they trust me, we have a lot of staff working on a big project. We want to leave a legacy, it's a challenge for me, and I'm learning a lot, it's a great experience, and I'm quite happy at the moment,” he told Sky Sports.

With both Everton and Arsenal sacking their managers, there are two vacancies in the Premier League with Watford having appointed Nigel Pearson. However, Benitez, a Champions League winner with Liverpool and a Europa League winner with Chelsea, has refused to rule out a move to either side, even adding that he doesn’t know what will happen in the future. He further admitted that his Liverpool connections will not interfere should he be in consideration for the job at Goodison Park.

"I have Liverpool connections, that's very clear. But at the same time we are involved in the city, we have lots of friends in the city, Evertonians and Liverpudlians. I don't have any problem with the fans or the people there. I have a very good connection with the city. At the moment, I can't come back to the Premier League, but we'll see. In the future, you never know. I'm a professional. I made a mistake when I said it was a small club. I wanted to say it was a small team as, in the game, they had one chance and were too deep. I didn't want to say it was a small club,” he added.

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