Rafa Benitez named his first eleven of the season WITHOUT skipper Jamaal Lascelles, with summer signing Florian Lejeune joining Ciaran Clark in central defence.
Now, the club captain did suffer a relative knock over the course of the Magpies’ pre-season schedule, so suggesting he’s been dropped may be a tad harsh, though it certainly provides an interesting option for Benitez.
The 23-year-old proved fairly inconsistent in the Championship, with Clark establishing himself as one of the Toon’s most important players following a move from Aston Villa this time last year.
Lejeune, meanwhile, joined from Eibar over the course of the summer and has looked assured during Newcastle’s pre-season games, so perhaps Lascelles faces a fight to even get back into the squad.
Indeed, in a recent poll we put out to our readers, 80% of you didn’t back the former Nottingham Forest man to start.
So, with all this in mind, here’s a look at how Newcastle United fans reacted on Twitter to Lascelles’ benching.
If Lascelles is captain, why doesn't he start?
— Ahead of the Curve (@mediocentr0) August 13, 2017
https://twitter.com/_sdodds/status/896696956499767296
https://twitter.com/CraigMillen/status/896696167911886848
Lascelles captain but not on pitch ?
— Jake Randall (@JSR20031) August 13, 2017
Lascelles doesn't start – solid decision by Rafa.
Mitro, Merino & Murphy amongst subs#nufc
— NUFC Index (@NUFC_Index) August 13, 2017
Surprised Lascelles doesn't start tbh. Am I right in saying that there's only 2 changes from our first game in C'ship last season? #NUFC
— Shane Saunders (@ShaneSaunders88) August 13, 2017
