Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has essentially made it his mission to develop Magpies captain Jamaal Lascelles, according to The Chronicle.
The newspaper claims that the Spaniard has taken a particular interested in the former Nottingham Forest man, who is on a reported £40,000-per-week [Source: Spotrac].
The 25-year-old has basically been an ever-present throughout Benitez’s time in charge at St James’ Park, and it’s clear that the former Liverpool boss views him as an essential part of his plans.
OPINION
It’s no surprise to find out that this is the state of play between Benitez and his captain. The Spaniard has seemed to take a particular interest in the Englishman from the get go, wanting to cultivate him into one of the Premier League’s finest centre halves. That process included giving him the captaincy at a young age and putting on him the responsibility to lead a top flight side on their return to the most competitive league in the world. Lascelles, though, has, by and large, risen to the challenge. There were some poor outings from him this campaign, but he was pretty solid for the most part. He may not be the most naturally talented footballer in the Newcastle defence, that’s Fabian Schar, or the most consistent, Florian Lejeune, but he looks like he loves defending more than any of them. You need players like that in your team and Benitez obviously values that trait. He wants to improve him and help him develop and so far he has done that. The Newcastle supporters will be hoping he continues to do that for years to come.
