Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez hailed the impact of the 'fresh legs' of Christian Atsu in his side's 2-0 win over Wigan on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old climbed off the bench to seal the victory for the Magpies to send them top of the English Championship.

And the Spaniard was left impressed with the impact of the Ghana international.

“We needed fresh legs and a little bit of pace. He can do that and did it well," he said

“That was the ideal situation for us; we needed the second goal to finish the game.”

Atsu is expected to be involved ahead of the side's next game against Burton Albion.