Newcastle United 'absolute leader' disappointed after squad snub - ruled out of eight games
Jamaal Lascelles’ late introduction against AFC Bournemouth was his first Newcastle United appearance in 18 months.
Newcastle United defender Jamaal Lascelles is in line to make his first competitive start for 18 months on Wednesday night.
The Magpies host League One leaders Bradford City in the third round of the Carabao Cup, with Eddie Howe set to rotate his side for their fourth game in 12 days.
Eddie Howe is also bearing in mind that United have another four games to play in 10 days, with Bradford, Arsenal, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Nottingham Forest all to come before the two-week October international break.
Eddie Howe on rotating his Newcastle United starting XI vs Bradford City
Howe made seven changes to the starting line-up that drew 0-0 at AFC Bournemouth on Sunday, having lost 2-1 to Barcelona in the Champions League 72 hours earlier.
A similar number of changes are expected against Bradford, though Howe insists he will name a strong team for the start of their Carabao Cup defence.
Howe said: “I think we have a strong squad and I think the rotations that we made in the games are a reflection of that.
“I think two years ago we got to the stage where we couldn't rotate anybody because we obviously had a lot of injuries and I think we're just trying to navigate the situation better if we can this time around. But we still want to win games and we still have to win games.
“We've still got to be competitive and I thought the team we picked against Bournemouth was a very strong team and I thought we performed strongly, albeit without a real goal threat.”
Jamaal Lascelles in line for first Newcastle United start in 18 months
Among those expected to come into the starting XI is former club skipper Lascelles, on what would mark his first competitive start since he sustained an ACL injury in the 4-3 comeback win over West Ham United in March 2024.
Lascelles featured in pre-season, playing full matches against Team K-League and Atletico Madrid but didn’t make his competitive return until appearing as a late substitute in Sunday’s trip to AFC Bournemouth.
The 31-year-old is behind the likes of Malick Thiaw, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn and Sven Botman in the centre-back pecking order and has been left out the club’s Champions League squad, but Howe insists Lascelles still has an important role to play.
Howe told NewcastleWorld: "Well, his role is such an important one. He's an absolute leader of the group and he'll be in a group of players that is fighting for minutes.
“But I think for Jamal, he's such a role model in terms of how he conducts himself and how he behaves and how he trains, a vocal presence as well. We're going to need him to keep to those standards because he really is a great culture setter for us."
Jamaal Lascelles’ reaction being left out of Champions League
Newcastle were required to submit a 25-man squad to the Premier League and from that list, Lascelles, Harrison Ashby, John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie have been omitted for the Champions League.
That means the quarter were ineligible against Barcelona and will miss the other seven matches against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, Benfica, Athletic Bilbao, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, PSV Eindhoven and Paris Saint-Germain.
Asked how Lascelles reacted to the news, Howe replied: "I think he was disappointed, of course, because he's a winner and he wants to compete and he wants to play like everybody else does. But of course, coming back from his serious knee injury, he's done really well to come back in the way that he has.
“He looks in great shape, but obviously that was a big blow for him. And of course, now competition in that position is really hot. We've got some really, really good defenders at the football club and Jamal is one of them."