Eddie Howe grabs the mic to praise Jamaal Lascelles at a press conference where he confirms the defender stays as captain

In a remarkable press conference moment, Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe grabbed the microphone to praise his captain Jamaal Lascelles – who was sitting right next to him.

Howe also confirmed that Lascelles would remain as skipper for the forthcoming season, despite starting just two Premier League games last season, and a number of new additions to the squad from last term.

Lascelles faced questions on his future with the Magpies during a press conference ahead of the Premier League Summer Series in Philadelphia, but Howe swooped in at the end to insist that he was staying right where he was. 

Howe said: ‘Can I just add a little bit on? I just want to say with Jamaal in this room, he has been an unbelievable captain for us.

‘Captaincy does not just exist on the pitch, it has to exist off the pitch as well. The two things are so intrinsically linked, so a lot of our success last year came down to a group of players giving everything on and off the pitch.

Manager Eddie Howe took charge of the microphone to sing Lascelle’s praises to the media

The boss expressed his gratitude to Lascelles for his attitude off the pitch despite absence

‘There was a group of people off the pitch who were absolutely magnificent, and Jamaal was one of them. Now Jamaal will want to play, like every player does, but it’s how you react when you are not playing is the key.

‘And I just want to pay tribute to what Jamaal did last year, and we move forward together.’

Following a final question on the centre-back’s status with the Magpies, with Kieran Trippier taking the armband for a significant period of last season, Howe responded: ‘Yeah Jamaal will be captain.’

Lascelles will remain as captain for next season despite his limited number of appearances

One fan was quick to praise Howe’s actions by defending his captain in front of the media

One fan responded to the video by saying: ‘Just when you thought Eddie Howe couldn’t improve. What an absolute gent.’ 

Elsewhere in the press conference, Howe insisted that Allan Saint-Maximin’s £30m move to Al-Ahli is ‘above board’ despite rival clubs questioning the valuation. 

Newcastle face Aston Villa on Sunday evening ahead of further pre-season fixtures this week against Chelsea and Brighton.   

Their first competitive fixture is the Premier League game against Aston Villa on August 12.