Rafa: I may go abroad for a job

READY TO WALK ... Rafael Benitez

RAFA BENITEZ last night admitted he could be forced to leave England this summer to get the big job he wants.

The interim Chelsea boss leads his team into tonight’s Europa League final with just two weeks remaining on his Stamford Bridge contract.

And though he has made it clear that he would prefer to stay in the Premier League, he fears that most of the top jobs have already been snapped up.

Benitez has been left bewildered by recent events at Manchester United and Manchester City and the speed with which both vacancies have been filled.

He said: “My priority is to stay in England but it’s not going to be easy to find another top side here so maybe I have to look abroad to see if something is available in another country.

“That is something that I have to do now and there are two options open to me. One is to go to a top side where you can go straight in and immediately compete for trophies.

“The other option is to sign up for an interesting project but that is something you have to analyse very carefully because some owners are investing more money and demanding immediate success.”

Benitez knows his employment prospects will be boosted by victory in tonight’s Amsterdam final, where he will be without the services of the injured John Terry, Eden Hazard and Ryan Bertrand.

John Obi Mikel is available for selection but unlikely to make the starting team after missing the last six games with a hip injury.

Benitez admitted: “We are down to 18 players for this game and it shows the squad is not as big as people think. We have played more games than any other team in Europe.

“To lose any player for a final is always bad, no matter who it is. But obviously in the case of Hazard he was playing well and can make a difference in games. So now it is down to others to step forward.”

Tonight will be Chelsea’s 68th game of a roller-coaster season and Benitez’s 47th in charge since taking over from Roberto Di Matteo in November.

And in spite of the hostile reception he still gets from the Chelsea fans, the Spaniard is more than happy with the job he has done during his six months in charge Benitez said: “This season has been a big success, 100 per cent.

“We have had two or three little setbacks like the majority of teams but the mood has always been quite good and the players have been very professional.

“Despite what people outside the camp have said, I have always had the feeling that nothing was going wrong.
“I think the players have always believed that we were going in the right direction and that has been a key part of this success.

“It has been a challenge for me but now I am quite happy because of the effort of everyone.

“The first target was to be in the top four and it was really important that we realised that. Now we are in a big European final so this has been a great end to the season.”