Rafa Benítez knows what people will say and he can understand it. At the age of 59, one of the most garlanded managers of his generation has left for the Far East, signing a two-and-a-half year contract with Dalian Yifang of the Chinese Super League. His annual salary is an estimated £12 million, an astonishing figure. Has he only gone for the money? “I cannot deny it is a big financial offer,” the Spaniard admits.

The riches are extraordinary, but there is a bit more to Benítez’s departure than simple, hard cash. During his three years at Newcastle United, when he led the club back into the Premier League and then kept them there twice, he dismissed the notion of moving to China, speaking of