Newcastle United defender Paul Dummett has penned a new contract at St James' Park which could potentially keep him at the club until 2022.

Dummett has been with the Magpies since the age of nine and has made a total of 131 appearances in all competitions during the left-back's time in the first-team squad.

The 26-year-old has played a key role in Newcastle's recent improvement in form, and manager Rafael Benitez has admitted that he is delighted with Dummett's commitment to the club.

The Spaniard told Newcastle's official website: "If you talk about players that are important for the team, normally people talk about goalscorers, midfielders and number tens but in modern football, there are not too many consistent left-sided full-backs.

"Paul is exactly that; he understands the game and you know what you can expect from him week in, week out. That's important when you have a lot of big games. He's a player you can trust.

"He was unlucky to miss the first four months of the season through injury, but he's a player who is quick to learn and knows his job really well. His return has given us more competition in a position where we did not have too much before, so we're really pleased to keep him."

Dummett was part of the Newcastle team which registered a 1-0 win over Manchester United last weekend.