Rafa Benitez plans to pull on his boots for a playing comeback

SLIMLINE Rafa Benitez plans to pull on his boots for a playing comeback — after losing almost a STONE  since hernia surgery.

The Newcastle manager returns to the dugout today after missing last Sunday’s 1-0 win at Swansea. Spaniard Rafa has been off his food since the operation and joked that he can now give Olympic sprint king Usain Bolt a run for his money.

The 57-year-old is ready to come out of retirement, and said: “I’ve lost about four kilos because I couldn’t eat too much and I kept on being sick.

“Now all I need to do is to have another three or four operations and I’ll be ready to play again!

“I’m not sure if it’s something about being in England but before I came I had never had an operation in my life before.

“Then I had surgery on a kidney stone after  I arrived at Liverpool and had to sit  in the stand as we beat Newcastle 5-1.”

Benitez watched the victory at the Liberty Stadium at home on TV, after shelving plans to use Toon owner Mike Ashley’s helicopter to fly from his Merseyside home to South Wales. And he missed some of the action after his TV went on the blink.

So  he is glad to be back on the touchline as the Geordies go in search of a hat-trick of Premier League wins for the first time in three years.

Benitez added: “There was a storm, the TV  pictures dropped out at the start of the match and I was like ‘oh no’.

“Luckily they soon came back on. I’ve told the players it’s better for them to have me at the stadium because sat at home watching on the sofa made it easier for me to spot their mistakes!”

From The Sun