DeAndre Yedlin has told ESPN FC that Rafa Benitez has united the club and the city to silence Newcastle's critics this season.
United States star Yedlin backed Benitez as a contender for manager of the season after the former Liverpool boss led Newcastle to four straight wins over March and April to guarantee their Premier League safety with five games to spare.
The Magpies won the Championship last season but Benitez was not backed in the transfer market by Mike Ashley, the club's owner, and they made just three loan signings in January, despite repeated calls from the Spaniard for reinforcements.
"He could definitely be in contention for [manager of the season]," Yedlin said. "Obviously the manager that wins the league is going to be the big name in it but given the expectations people had for our team this year...
"A lot of people wrote us off, a lot of people said we'd go straight back down, they said we didn't get many people in in the summer, we had the same squad as last year -- a Championship squad. They said this and that.
"I think we've proved a lot of people wrong and a big part of that is Rafa. He's worked very well with every single player on the team. He's kept us together, kept the city together and that's a big reason why we are where are in the table right now.
"Rafa understands that every single player is different and every different player needs different things. He connects with everybody on a personal level and as a manager nowadays you need to have that in your arsenal. He's improved me massively, 100 percent, since my first day here. I'm really excited and really fortunate to be working under him."
Asked if the scepticism had impacted the squad, Yedlin said: "People are going to have their opinions, people are going to say what they want, especially over social media. It doesn't really bother me or anybody on the team. We try to go out and do what we knew we could do.
"We could be even higher than we are now. We've made mistakes, we've got through runs this year where we could have nicked a point here, or got three points there. For the expectations that people had for us, we've proved them wrong."
Benitez has been tentatively linked with a new job in the summer, including at London pair Arsenal and West Ham, but Yedlin feels it is essential for Newcastle that he stays at St. James' Park to continue to rebuild the club.
"It's important," the right-back said. "You see what he's done in the last few years. There's a sense of unity now -- within the club, within the players, from the players to the fans.
"We feel it as players, the fans feel it and it's a great feeling that has helped us reach the levels we've reached. To keep building on that, it's important he stays so we can built on it more."
Yedlin moved to English football and Tottenham from his hometown of Seattle in summer 2015 but spent just a year in London before joining Newcastle's north-east rivals Sunderland on loan for the 2015-16 season.
He is now approaching the end of his second full season on Tyneside and says he has found a home at the club and in the city, which he prefers to the English capital.
"I grew up in Seattle and it's a bit quieter, a bit more relaxed," Yedlin said. "And when I moved to London, I thought it'd be great -- you know, big city London! But I actually found it pretty difficult. I wasn't used to it.
"I've found more of a home here in Newcastle. It's more like Seattle. It's more relaxed, the people are more friendly. It's been great.
"It really is a unique place -- it's like nowhere else in England I've been. They've got their own type of people, their own little language up here, which I still struggle to understand. It's a great place. It's lively.
"And then obviously you've got support from the Geordies, the Toon Army, which is second to none. I've found my experience up here unbelievable and hopefully I'll be here a long time."