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Reports have emerged from Italy that Gennaro Gattuso has met up with super-agent Jorge Mendes in relation to possibly taking the Newcastle United job if Rafael Benitez leaves.

Why might he be needed?

The reason Gattuso might be required at Newcastle is because Benitez's contract expires at the end of June and there has still not been an agreement reached between the Spaniard and Toon owner Mike Ashley.

Negotiations have dragged on and yet still Benitez says they are no closer to an agreement, with the main issues appearing to be the transfer budget and internal upgrades such as training facilities.

Things are also not going too well for Gattuso in Milan either as he and Director of Football Leonardo are said not to see eye-to-eye, and if the Rossoneri miss out on Champions League then that could be the end of his reign at the San Siro.

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How would Gattuso change Newcastle?

If the former World Cup winner were to take over on Tyneside then expect a change in formation, Newcastle currently play 3-4-2-1 and last season they played 4-2-3-1.

Gattuso though plays 4-3-3 almost exclusively with AC relying on Tiemoune Bakayoko to break up play and then distribute it to Milan's box-to-box midfielders.

These are usually Giacomo Bonaventura and Franck Kessie playing as a all-action midfielders and it is these two that are crucial to everything the side do.

If the Italian were to take over Newcastle it would likely mean that Ki Seung Yeung or Sean Longstaff would play in front of the back four and then Gattuso would need to buy at least two box-to-box midfielders, such is the importance of their role in his system.

This is because Isaac Hayden will most likely leave and Jonjo Shelvey is not suited to a box-to-box role due to his low work-rate.

The other key change would be the role of Newcastle's wingers, for Milan the wingers play on the opposite side to their strong foot with over-lapping attacking fullbacks, allowing the defenders to race into the gaps that open up when they cut inside.

At the moment Matt Ritchie is playing left-wing-back but he is most suited to playing on the right wing and cutting in on his favoured left.

Suso currently plays that role for Milan and though Ritchie is not as talented as the Spaniard he could certainly fulfill the same role in any Gattuso Newcastle side thanks to his excellent delivery.

A change to 4-3-3 however, may not be ideal for Miguel Almiron or Ayoze Perez as they are both not natural wingers or inverted wingers and both have operated well in their free roles behind Rondon. If they were shifted out wide it would probably reduce the effectiveness of both.

If Gattuso were to arrive, figuring out how to get the best out of Almiron and the red-hot Perez must be his top priorities, because his current system simply would not allow them to thrive.