Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez will miss trip to Swansea as he recovers from surgery on hernia wound

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Rafa Benitez is likely to miss Newcastle’s trip to Swansea on Sunday as he continues to recover from surgery to remove an infection from a hernia wound.

Benitez failed to make it to training on Thursday — he was driven a few miles before being forced to turn back — and it is almost certain he will have to watch the game on television.

The Magpies boss will not be present for the pre-match press conference either and fitness coach Miguel Moreno will take his place on Friday and on the touchline on Sunday.

Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez will miss Sunday's trip to Swansea as he recovers from surgery to remove a hernia infection after missing Thursday's training session

He is unhappy with their summer business and expected more support from Mike Ashley

Benitez had been due to answer questions for the first time since the club failed to sign a single player during the final two weeks of the transfer window.

He is unhappy with their summer business — they signed six players at a cost of £40million — and had expected more financial support from owner Mike Ashley.

Meanwhile, Aleksandar Mitrovic says he did not deliberately elbow West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini and cannot understand why he has been banned for three matches.

The Newcastle striker reluctantly accepted his retrospective punishment after the club chose not to appeal against an FA charge of violent conduct. Mitrovic — who scored in the 3-0 win over the Hammers — will miss the entirety of September and the incident has added to Benitez’s feeling of mistrust towards the Serb.  

Meanwhile Aleksandar Mitrovic says he did not deliberately elbow West Ham's Manuel Lanzini

Mitrovic also said Serbia's win over Ireland was 'an unbelievable night for Serbian football'

‘It is very frustrating,’ said Mitrovic. ‘It wasn’t even a foul in the game. I have three or four incidents like this every match.

‘It has been really tough to get my head around. It was an accident. I spoke to Lanzini after the game and he was fine.

‘You maybe get 10 clashes like that with a defender in a game. It was not even a foul, it was not even a yellow card. If I say something more they can punish me even more. It’s going to be hard to miss these games. I just have to stay fit and sharp so I can help the team when I return.’

Mitrovic was part of the Serbia side who moved to within one win of next summer’s World Cup after their 1-0 victory in Dublin on Tuesday night. And that success has been a welcome relief from his troubles on Tyneside.

‘It was an unbelievable night for Serbian football,’ said Mitrovic.

‘Getting to the World Cup is a huge thing. It’s been a long time coming and I think it is very important for the Serbian people to see us back at a World Cup.’