Lascelles suffered an ACL injury in Newcastle’s 4-3 win over West Ham United last March and is now in the closing stages of his recovery. The 31-year-old has suffered some minor setbacks during the rehabilitation process but is hoping to be back involved heading into the final run of matches this season.
Lascelles will be one of four Newcastle players set to miss the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool as things stand. Sven Botman and Lewis Hall will miss the match following surgery while Anthony Gordon is suspended.
The defender has been back on the grass at Darsley Park and spent long hours in the gym working on his recovery.
In his matchday programme column last week, Lascelles wrote: “I definitely feel like I’m getting on the right track in my recovery from an ACL injury. I’ve had a couple of little setbacks – nothing to do with the knee, just low-level muscle injuries which can happen when you spend such a long period of 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 the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Given the lack of central defensive options at the moment for Newcastle, Lascelles’ return to full fitness will be a welcome boost for Eddie Howe and his squad. And after a week of frustrating injury updates, the Newcastle boss was keen to share some more positive news regarding the defender’s injury recovery.
“He’s now entering the last phase of his recovery from injury, and hopefully we’ll see him soon.”
With just a few months left on his current contract on Tyneside, Lascelles may not be playing a role on the pitch, but he remains a key figure off it, is club captain and part of Eddie Howe’s ‘leadership group’ alongside Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Callum Wilson and Jacob Murphy.
Uncertainty over Jamaal Lascelles’ future at Newcastle United
Lascelles’ injury has been paired with uncertainty over his future at Newcastle given his current contract is set to expire in the summer. The defender will be hoping he hasn’t already played his final game for the club as he looks to return to fitness and earn a new contract in the process.
But there is no guarantee of either at this stage although the club have recently announced new deals for Emil Krafth and Martin Dubravka. A new contract agreement with Fabian Schar is also understood to be close.
Lascelles is one of five first team players out of contract at the end of the season as things stand along with Schar, Callum Wilson, John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie.
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