Why Eddie Howe could start Jamaal Lascelles when Newcastle host Burnley

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Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe could well have a selection headache ahead of the Magpies’ return to Premier League action.

The Magpies recorded an outstanding 1-0 win over Manchester City in the Carabao Cup third round thanks to Alexander Isak’s second-half strike.

Howe gave a number of Newcastle fringe players a start against the treble winners, and most of them emerged from the game with considerable credit.

One of these was Jamaal Lascelles. The Magpies club captain delivered a solid display to help keep the high-calibre visitors at bay.

The Shields Gazette lauded the 29-year-old for his “strong aerial performance” and Chronicle Live said he “kept it simple and cleared his lines well”.

Let’s not forget that Lascelles did well against City powerhouse Erling Haaland last season, testament to the £55,000-a-week defender’s quality (Salarysport).

Though the Norwegian was an unused sub this time round, the Newcastle skipper nonetheless showed what he’s capable of.

We feel that Howe could potentially hand the Magpies captain his first league start of the season against Burnley this weekend.

With Newcastle taking on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next week, Sven Botman could do with further rest.

Prior to Wednesday night, Lascelles had made just one appearance, a cameo in the league loss to Brighton.

However, the Newcastle veteran has certainly earned himself a league start with how he fared against City.

Let’s see what Howe decides in the coming days, but we think it would be a good decision for player and club alike.

Lascelles gets rewarded for an impressive outing against the best team in the country, and Botman gets further rest ahead of a much bigger game.