Benitez will check on Shelvey before Swansea reunion

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez said he will check on Jonjo Shelvey's state of mind before naming him in his starting line-up for their must-win clash against Swansea City.

Shelvey was sold by Swansea for £12million in January after previously being considered an important part of the club's first-team plans.

The former Liverpool midfielder had his attitude openly questioned by former Swansea manager Garry Monk, before Swansea director John van Zweden has retweeted negative opinions of Shelvey on Twitter.

With no love lost between Shelvey and his former employers, Benitez is keen to ensure his stand-in captain has his head in the game and not on a personal vendetta.

"I think he's fine," Benitez said.

"He's a player who wants to give everything in every game and we will make sure we talk with him and make sure he's focused.

"He's training well so I don't see any problems at the moment but I will talk to him to be sure he's fully concentrated."

Newcastle are six points behind 17th placed Norwich City with six games to play, meaning anything other than a win against Swansea could prove disastrous for their survival hopes.