Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez has hailed Aleksandar Mitrovic's hard-working display in Wednesday's 3-1 friendly win over Wolfsburg.

The striker was given the chance to shine is his side's penultimate pre-season outing and did not disappoint, netting the opener as the Magpies sealed an impressive win over Die Wolfe.

Mitrovic has endured a mixed time of it since arriving on Tyneside in the summer of 2015, with his relatively low goal return leading to suggestions of a potential move away from St James' Park.

His boss Benitez admits he was pleased by what he saw from the 22-year-old Serbian in Germany and says it was hard to fault his endeavour at the AOK Stadiom.

"Mitrovic was working hard - that was the main thing," said Benitez. "We told him before that he would play 45 minutes, so he has to give everything.

"He was trying. He had some chances to score a goal. He was there, and that's what we were expecting. He was pushing and pressing the defenders and creating chances for himself and his team-mates."