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Rafa Benitez admits it is "not easy" for Jonjo Shelvey as the midfielder struggles to regain his Newcastle United starting place due to the form of Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff.

Despite having returned to fitness, none of the senior trio of Shelvey, Ki Sung-yueng or Mo Diame have been able to displace either Longstaff or Hayden in the side.

Longstaff and Hayden may have been in form, but it was still an immense show of faith from Benitez in the pair when the Newcastle manager handed them the responsibility of running vital matches against relegation rivals Huddersfield Town and Burnley.

Even Benitez himself did not expect that, by late-February and with his senior midfield trio fit, he would be naming a United XI which featured Longstaff and Hayden in the engine room.

But the Spaniard is willing to reward those who impress with a run in the side, and that pair have deserved to continue playing. Benitez has even suggested Longstaff, who scored his first Premier League goal on Tuesday night against Burnley, "would not look out of place" in the senior England squad.

But it leaves Shelvey, in particular, in a difficult position. While Diame came on as a substitute against both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley, and Ki Sung-yueng has been on the bench for the past two matches, Shelvey has not even been making the matchday squad.

Part of the issue is that the 26-year-old is lacking match fitness following a thigh injury, which did not clear sufficiently in time for him to play a part against CSKA Moscow during the friendly out in Spain.

While Benitez stresses he would like to give Shelvey a chance to play, the fact is that four midfielders are in a better shape in terms of match fitness than the England international. Shelvey, therefore, faces a challenging situation, and he could see the minutes he plays between now and the end of the season limited, too.

Certainly it appears unlikely that Shelvey will start against West Ham United on Saturday. Hayden and Longstaff are primed to retain their places, with Diame and Ki ahead of Shelvey in the pecking order should Benitez opt to make a change.

“The medical staff keep the players fit, so we have 24 players available. The 11 starters are doing well, so we can change one or two players, but they are doing well," Benitez replied when asked about how Diame and Shelvey had responded to being left out of the side despite being fit.

“Seven players on the bench, that leaves six outside. It is quite difficult, but I praise them because they are very good professionals and are training really hard, even though they are not playing and not on the bench.

“Hopefully we can carry on doing the same and, if I have a chance, I will give an opportunity to people to be sure that everybody can be involved.

"Jonjo needs to prove his match fitness, but match fitness you can only prove by playing games, so it is not easy [for him] at the moment."

One player who is thriving during an extended run in the Newcastle team is £3.5million summer signing Fabian Schar.

The Switzerland international has formed a formidable partnership alongside captain Jamaal Lascelles and Frenchman Florian Lejeune in a back three.

Schar netted Newcastle's opener against Burnley on Tuesday night, unleashing an unstoppable right-footed drive from 25 yards which cannoned in off the post, and he is adamant the Magpies can continue the positive recent form which has seen Benitez's men collect 13 points from the last 18 available.

"Of course, I am really happy to be in the team and play in the last few games and also do my job," Schar explained.

"I am here to help the team and do what I can do. I feel I have enough in common with the lads.

"We've had some great games together and we are now more confident. We have a lot of quality in the team and we need to keep working like we have in the last few weeks.

"[For the goal] I had some space and I tried to get a good shot away. I was just happy to help the team score the first goal.

"I am happy with the three points, too. I am more concerned with the performances of the team and the points.

"Hopefully we can keep working like this. We have to look forward and try to get more points."