Newcastle have made an auspicious start upon their return to the Premier League with three wins from their opening six matches.

It's been a long time since there was a sense of optimism surrounding Tyneside and the arrival of Rafa Benitez 18 months ago has given the fans hope for a brighter future.

However, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher - who won the Champions League under Benitez at Liverpool in 2005 - might have some bad news for the Toon.

Newcastle face Liverpool on Sunday with both sides in need of a victory.

The Magpies are coming off a 1-0 loss to Brighton while Liverpool need a run of victories after winning only once in their last four league games.

While Newcastle might be thinking they can finally build for the future, Carragher doesn't see Benitez being apart of that.

He told Monday Night Football following Arsenal's 2-0 win over West Brom: "If I'm being totally honest, I don't expect to see Rafa Benitez at Newcastle over a sustained, long period of time.

"I think eventually something will happen with him and the owner and unfortunately for Newcastle this is not going to be a happy and long marriage.

"So, enjoy it while he's here."

Newcastle fans might not like what Carragher has to say, but it's safe to say new striker Joselu will like it a whole lot less.

He continued: "You can't turn Newcastle into a force if you're buying players like Joselu, who was a squad player at Stoke who Newcastle are probably going to rival this season, maybe in the bottom half of the table.

"I don't think there's any chance of Newcastle going down, just because of the manager. He is very pragmatic and he'll make it very difficult."

Benitez is the X-factor in the Newcastle squad and his expertise will gain them more points this season than possibly any of their new signings.

It's no secret the Spaniard did not get the funds he thought he was going to get from chairman Mike Ashley, how long until he suffers another broken promise?