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Number Nine Dwight Gets Mitro's Blessing
Written by Newcastle Utd
Dwight Gayle became Newcastle United's latest number nine with the blessing of teammate Aleksandar Mitrovic
By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Managing Editor
Dwight Gayle became Newcastle United's latest number nine with the blessing of teammate Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Former Crystal Palace front man Gayle was handed the iconic squad number - which has been worn by the likes of Alan Shearer, Malcolm Macdonald and Jackie Milburn on Tyneside - on Thursday morning, just over 24 hours before the Magpies kick off their Sky Bet Championship campaign at Fulham.
Manager Rafa Benitez revealed that both Gayle and Serbian striker Mitrovic had set their sights on the vacant shirt, but that there is no bad feeling between the pair, who will look to fire United back into the top flight at first time of asking.
"In the end they decided," Benitez revealed.
"I wanted to organise a finishing competition to see who would get the number nine.
"They are both strikers who would normally will score more goals. In the end, Mitro was telling him 'listen, take the number nine'.
"It was not a big issue. The atmosphere is good. I have had a conversation with both. At the beginning they both wanted the number nine but after talking between them it was easy.
"I'm really pleased because they understand the main thing is to be on the pitch and score goals."
And as for Gayle, the boss has urged him to set his sights towards Shearer's record-breaking 206 goals for the Club.
"It will maybe be impossible to do what Alan Shearer has done with the number nine but if he is a little bit close in a couple of years, that would be fantastic for us," he said.