Would you believe us if we told you Newcastle United do have a natural-born left-back in their ranks?
One who joined the club for £15 million after an impressive Premier League season, who has almost 30 international caps on his CV and who nearly joined Liverpool before signing at St James’ Park?
Given Matt Ritchie has started every one of Newcastle’s 11 league games at left-back this season – and the veteran winger has hardly shone in an unnatural position – you’d be forgiven for thinking we’re pulling your leg.
Because if Newcastle have a player of Jamal Lewis’ potential at their disposal, why on earth is Ritchie starting week in, week out in a position he has rarely played in a professional career that has lasted more than ten years?
Can Eddie Howe save Jamal Lewis’ Newcastle career?
Newcastle’s new owners hired Eddie Howe for a reason – and not just because Unai Emery got cold feet.
At Bournemouth, Howe instilled an attractive, free-flowing style of football while getting the best out of the tools at his disposal.
Transforming Bournemouth into an established Premier League side was one heck of an achievement – like building a mansion from the ground up with a hammer and chisel.
Howe, then, will be expected to coax far more out of the crop of players at his disposal than Steve Bruce ever did.
And given his track record when it comes to working with full-backs – Adam Smith, Kieran Trippier and Charlie Daniels all thrived under Howe at Bournemouth and Burnley – former Norwich City flyer Lewis can harbour hopes of a revival under his new manager.
After all, if Lewis can keep the usually irrepressible Federico Chiesa quiet during a World Cup qualifier with European champions Italy, surely he can be trusted to feature in upcoming fixtures with Brentford, Norwich and Burnley.
Lewis has plenty of rough edges that require smoothing out, of course, particularly in the defensive side of his game.
But Howe loves a project.
Here’s what some Newcastle supporters on Twitter had to say about Jamal Lewis’ performance against Italy last night:
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