Jamaal Lascelles emerging as a leader for Newcastle and an outside bet for England

Newcastle needed someone to face the cameras. The Magpies had just slumped to a hapless 3-1 defeat against Southampton, and apathy was now spreading among the travelling fans as the realisation that they would likely be relegated set in.

The last thing they wanted to hear was empty platitudes from one of their players though. They’d already been commended for their loyalty and passion, like all fans are, and hollow compliments were not going to keep the club in the Premier League.

That was when the unlikely figure of Jamaal Lascelles stepped forward.

“We need bigger characters on the pitch, players who care and who are going to get after each other,” he told the BBC.“We have lacked it this season and no matter how good you are, if you don’t have that fight and hunger and desire, it doesn’t matter.

“It’s ourselves who need to change it and not the manager. We need to play with more heart.”

Lascelles was certainly not the obvious candidate for such a brutally honest appraisal, but for the first time it felt as if someone wearing a Newcastle shirt was taking responsibility for the situation.

Newcastle ultimately slipped into the Championship that season, but it was on that day at Southampton that Lascelles first emerged as a leader and potential captain. Someone with a future at the club.

Signed from Nottingham Forest in August 2014 alongside Karl Darlow for a combined £7 million fee, he was initially loaned back to Forest before making his Premier League debut in October 2015 during a 6-1 defeat against Manchester City.

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He was used sparingly in the first half of the season, but saw more opportunities after January and when Rafa Benitez arrived in March of 2016.

In the wake of relegation Benitez needed to rebuild his squad, and he saw Lascelles as a cornerstone of that project.

“He is very keen to learn,” the Spaniard said recently. “Jamaal is somebody who is asking questions all of the time. That is the way you improve. When you are a young player and think you know everything it’s a big mistake.

The towering defender had good days and bad days for Newcastle last season. While the former often outnumbered the latter, it was later revealed that Lascelles had played through most of the campaign with a double hernia.

“I used to get injections before every game to mask the pain. Then training during the week, especially during the winter, was quite hardcore,” he told the club’s official website.

That commitment to the cause once again endeared him to the Newcastle fans. Unfortunately, not every injury has been manageable by injection though. Lascelles picked up a foot complaint during the home defeat against Bournemouth in November that kept him out of the team for five games. During that period the Magpies picked up just one point and conceded 15 goals.

Those figures sit in stark contrast to Newcastle’s form with him in the side.

In the 10 games before his injury the Magpies conceded just nine goals, winning four of their games, losing four, and drawing two.

Equally, in the six games since his return, they have conceded just five times and picked up 7 points from a possible 12 over the Christmas period.

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His influence is not only confined to on pitch matters either.

“I wouldn’t say it was calm, no,” he said of the dressing room after returning to the team for a 1-0 defeat against Everton in December. “There were a few home truths said but the reality is we’re not in a great position and sometimes things need to be said that players don’t want to hear. Hopefully, it’ll get a reaction. We don’t want to leave it too late.”

Not only vocal in his leadership Lascelles also raises the levels of focus. Against Stoke City, as his teammates celebrated Ayoze Perez’s winning goal, Lascelles was deep in conversation with Benitez on the touchline in preparation of a late barrage from Stoke.

The 24-year-old’s diligence is no doubt something the Spaniard appreciates, and it is helping Newcastle creep towards the 40 point mark and potential safety in the Premier League. Once that fate has been secured, perhaps then Lascelles can start casting his eye towards the England squad.

The former Forest defender was briefly involved with England’s youth teams, and there has been tentative talk of him being considered for a full call-up in the near future.

While a place at the World Cup in Russia seems over-ambitious, the 24-year-old’s physical qualities, along with his leadership skills, do make him an interesting proposition for Gareth Southgate, who was present during Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City on Boxing Day.

“I knew Gareth Southgate was there before the game,” he said this week. “It is nice that he is watching and taking an interest, however, it makes no difference is there is nobody here watching me – I will still always try my best for Newcastle United, the badge and the supporters.”

For now though Newcastle fans are just enjoying his influence at St James’ Park. A defender with a growing reputation, it is not just his ability on the pitch that fans appreciate, but also his willingness to speak to them honestly off it. Lascelles is the kind of leader Newcastle needed during their last season in the Premier League, because he see things in black and white, just like they do.