The 23-year-old is one of the youngest captains in Newcastle United’s history but, as he has shown time and again, age is merely a number.
A good captain doesn’t just take responsibility on the pitch but off it too. And, as reported by The Chronicle, ever since he broke into the Newcastle United first team, Jamaal Lascelles has demonstrated exactly the kind of leadership and determination to make him a rightful heir of the armband once worn with pride by a certain Alan Shearer.
Even during the latter stages of last season, when relegation beckoned and his experienced team-mates collapsed around him, Lascelles stood tall among the wreckage. Eventually, the 23-year-old was a regular fixture in post-match interviews, spurring his team on and speaking honestly, not just in clichés but with home truths from the heart.
Consequently, Rafa Benitez didn’t take too much convincing that he should be handed the captain’s armband just a few months after breaking into the starting XI.
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And Lascelles was typically passionate ahead of Newcastle’s Championship clash with QPR earlier this week, taking time to apologise to supporters after their humiliating 3-0 FA Cup Fourth Round defeat to Oxford United.
“As players, we want to apologise to the fans who travelled to Oxford. Not just the travelling fans, every Newcastle fan,” Lascelles said, as reported by The Chronicle.
“We want to fix it, starting against QPR. We’re mad at ourselves and we want to change things for tonight. We need momentum.”
However, a rather below par performance in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw against Ian Holloway’s side, capped by a disastrous late own goal from Ciaran Clark, means Newcastle have now conceded five goals in five days.
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And, with a potentially tricky fixture against Derby County on Saturday, it’s times like these where Lascelles must once again show his mettle.
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