NEWCASTLE United boss Rafa Benítez has praised his Burnley counterpart Sean Dyche as the Magpies chief attempts to spoil the Clarets manager’s fifth anniversary.

Today marks five years since Dyche was appointed to the Turf Moor hotseat and he would love to celebrate with three points against Benitez’s side tonight.

And the Newcastle boss admits he has been impressed with Burnley, and Dyche in particular, ahead of the Premier Legaue clash.

“He is doing a great job,” said Benitez. “When you have a manager who has been there a while, trying to sign the players that he wants, managing the way that he wants, in the end you have a team that know what to do – they know what the manager wants, and I think that’s a great advantage.

“They are doing well. They are well-organised, they are in a good position in the table and they are playing with confidence, and that is always an advantage if you want to go and compete in every game.”

But the Spaniard has also been pleased with his side’s start to the season - and believes it can get even better.

“When I tell the players we want to be more ambitious, it is not that we have to be in the top four, or in Europe, or whatever. It is just to approach every game with the feeling we can improve a little bit,” he said.

“If we try to learn something, or to work a little bit harder in the training sessions, and if we can be a little bit better in every game, you never know what can happen.”