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Rafa Benitez says he is not surprised to see Newcastle United winger Matt Ritchie hit double figures in the goalscoring stakes by mid-January.

The former AFC Bournemouth star took his tally to 10 for the season and four in the last two games with another brace in the 4-0 win over Rotherham United.

Benitez feels that Ritchie sets the example to other players and had nothing but high praise for the Scotland international as Newcastle returned to the top of the table.

Benitez said: “We knew we were signing a good player, but at the same time, the way he has approached every game gives the others confidence.

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“It is contagious and he gives so much in his game that the others have to follow him.

“That is always positive for the team.”

Meanwhile, Ritchie has revealed why he doesn’t take to social media after games.

In an interview with the matchday programme he said: “I’m not very good at biting my tongue. I’ve seen players get some abuse on Twitter and things like that.

“There are fines in place, and I’m a little tight, so I wouldn’t want to be paying fines if I was chewing back on Twitter.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a conscious decision.

“I’ve never been someone for Facebook or anything like that.

“I’ve never been interested in that sort of stuff.

“I don’t miss it because I’ve never had it. It’s just not for me – I’m a very private person.

“I keep myself to myself, and it’s just something that’s never appealed to me.”