Phil Thompson believes Rafael Benitez is prioritising the EFL Cup over the Sky Bet Championship in order to deliver Newcastle's first cup success in 61 years.
The Spanish boss made six changes for Saturday's clash with Blackburn, including dropping leading scorer Dwight Gayle, which resulted in a shock 1-0 defeat, which ended an eight-match winning run.
Newcastle, who last tasted domestic cup glory when they won the FA Cup in 1955, head into their quarter-final clash with Hull on Tuesday night as Sky Bet's favourites despite being lower-league visitors - and Thompson says that's a sign of the manager taking the competition very seriously.
Thompson said: "I would read into the changes Rafael Benitez made at the weekend as suggesting his mind is focused on having a real go at winning the EFL Cup.
"I think he did it thinking if he could bring a trophy back to Newcastle then that will be the greatest achievement because it's been so long since they won a cup.
"He did it with Chelsea, sacrificing Premier League points for the Europa League, and obviously enjoyed great success in cup competitions at Liverpool, so it's clearly something he prioritises.
"He's doing it from a very strong position where they are at the top of the league and he obviously feels that he has the squad to have a go on both fronts."