'Definitely' - Newcastle United defender ruled out for a year gives honest ACL update
Jamaal Lascelles can “see the light” at the end of the tunnel as he continues his Newcastle United recovery.
Club captain since 2016, the centre-back penned a one-year contract extension 12 months ago. However, just days later, Lascelles suffered an ACL injury against West Ham United.
The 31-year-old has been sidelined since but Eddie Howe expects him to return before the end of the season. That would create a dilemma about whether the Magpies should renew his deal for another season.
Newcastle have Sven Botman, Dan Burn, Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth capable of playing at centre-back. The position is also likely to be a target area this summer, with Toon chiefs failing to land Marc Guehi last August.
For now, Lascelles is focused on making a full recovery and featuring before the campaign ends. He told the club’s matchday programme before the Brighton clash: “I definitely feel like I’m getting on the right track in my recovery from my ACL injury.
“I’ve had a couple of little setbacks, nothing to do with injuries, which can happen when you spend such a long time away from the grass and your body adapts to the increasing load. But physically and mentally, I’m in a great place and I can see light at the end of the tunnel.”
Lascelles also opened up about Howe’s impact in changing the mentality at St James’ Park. Previous regimes - most famously under Mike Ashley’s ownership - publicly disregarded cup competitions.
“Whether it’s a Champions League game or a tie against lower-league opposition, he plays the strongest team possible to try and win the game,” Lascelles added. “I think that’s the right way. In the past, maybe we haven’t always been in a position to do that but now we have such high standards and expectations to perform, which we use as a drive to our hunger.”