Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles given his first start since November 21 after recovering from long Covid as he returns to lead side in Arsenal FA Cup clash
- Newcastle’s Jamaal Lascelles has been given his first start since November 21
- Lascelles is making his first appearance since he recovered from long Covid
- It was revealed last month that Lascelles and Allan Saint-Maximin were suffering
Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles was named in the starting lineup to face Arsenal in the FA Cup on Saturday as he makes his first appearance since recovering from long Covid.
Lascelles hadn’t played since November 21, when he featured in the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea. The 27-year-old returned to training on Christmas Eve.
It didn’t take the defender long to get straight back into action, though. Lascelles was booked after just eight minutes following a late lunge on Reiss Nelson in the cup clash at the Emirates.
Jamaal Lascelles will play his first game for Newcastle since recovering from long Covid
Magpies fans will be delighted to see the return of the captain following his lengthy break out.
The club named Lascelles and Allan Saint-Maximin as the two players suffering from long Covid, following a Covid outbreak in the Newcastle squad.
Saint-Maximin is still waiting to make his return to action.
The 23-year-old recently returned to Tyneside after being allowed to spend Christmas in France as he recovered from the effects of coronavirus.
Sportsmail revealed on Thursday that Saint-Maximin was back on Tyneside and a picture has since surfaced of a fan taking a selfie with the Newcastle winger.
Lascelles was booked after just eight minutes following a late lunge on Reiss Nelson
However, Newcastle said the player did not break Covid-19 quarantine rules after he was pictured with a supermarket employee.
Newcastle manager Steve Bruce revealed that Lascelles and Saint-Maximin had been struggling to walk, while they also had sores and mouth ulcers.
Speaking on December 21, Bruce said: ‘My thoughts are with the two players, and the welfare of them. It’s frightening when you think they are young and fit and absolutely supreme athletes. If anybody needs reminding of how serious this is, then we have witnessed it.
‘We’ve had vomiting, sores, mouth ulcers, no smell, no taste, but the big thing, and which is worrying, is the welfare of one or two of them. It’s not great at all.
‘That long-term Covid is something which you wouldn’t think possible in young, fit athletes. Unfortunately, it is so.
Last month Newcastle named Lascelles and Allan Saint-Maximin as the players at the club suffering from long Covid
Lascelles has been building up his fitness since he returned to training on Christmas Eve
‘They go for a walk for half an hour and then they want to go back to bed.. It’s as brutal as that.’
Newcastle’s training ground was closed in November following an outbreak of Covid-19.
Federico Fernandez and Isaac Hayden confirmed that they both tested positive during the outbreak, with more than ten individuals at Newcastle testing positive in total. Fernandez and Hayden have both since returned to action.
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