Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has named his official club captain for the season ahead.
Jamaal Lascelles shared the armband with Kieran Trippier last season but it seems it’s the former who remains the official captain of the side.
When asked if Howe had made a decision on the captaincy, he replied: “Yes, Jamaal will be captain.”
Earlier in the press conference, Howe was full of praise for the role Lascelles fulfils in his squad.
“I just want to say, with Jamaal in the room, he has been an unbelievable captain for us,” Howe said.
“And captaincy for me, doesn’t just exist on the pitch, it has to exist off the pitch (as well).
“The two things are so intrinsically linked. So a lot of our success last season didn’t just come down to the team, it was a group of players giving everything, on and off the pitch.
“There was a group of players off the pitch who were absolutely magnificent and Jamaal was one of them.
“Now Jamaal will want to play, like every player does, but it is how you react when you don’t play that is the key and I just want to pay tribute to what Jamaal did last year and we move forward together.”