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Rafa Benitez has explained why he signed Daryl Murphy from Ipswich Town.

The Ireland international’s late arrival in the transfer window raised the eyebrows of some football pundits but Benitez feels he will bring plenty of quality to his squad in this year’s Sky Bet Championship.

Murphy, who was the top scorer in the Championship in 2015 with 27 strikes, netted his first goal for Ireland in the 2-2 draw with Serbia during a World Cup qualifier this week and Benitez has no qualms about adding him to his squad.

He said: “We signed him because we knew he can score a lot of goals. He’s done that in the Championship and now has also scored at international level. The main thing for us is what he can give to our team.

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“He can give experience, he can give goals and he can handle the physicality. So all of these can use in each game.”

Murphy will now battle with Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dwight Gayle and Ayoze Perez for a place in Newcastle’s frontline.

Benitez added: “He understands we have very good strikers. He knows the competition will be difficult, and that is what we are looking for.

“We want competition in all of the positions to make sure by the end of the season we are where we want to be.”