Newcastle United club captain Jamaal Lascelles did not confront Eddie Howe regarding his game time over the past six months.

The 29-year-old defender, who was once the lynchpin of the Magpies team, has not been content at being on the sidelines.

However, he never once went and had a confrontation with his manager Howe, as he respected the coach's decision to start the likes of Sven Botman and Fabian Schar in his place.

Lascelles told Chronicle Live: "Yeah. But I have always been a player that has never wanted to use my captaincy or my voice to force my way into the team.

"I want to earn it. I want to be the best in training and be amazing when I play, and I want the manager to be able to say: 'He has to start.'

"I'm not the type to go round knocking on doors and stuff. "The manager is a smart manager, and whatever team he picks we know it is a squad game.We all fully back it. It is a collective thing.

"I don't think about myself. I have been so many years, and of course, I want to play every single game. But we are a squad. That has been the biggest driving force for our success."