Eddie Howe has handed Jamal Lewis another vote of confidence – despite his lack of minutes over pre-season.
The left-back was expected to feature heavily this summer after recovering from groin surgery, however an injury setback has seen him fail to appear in any of our SEVEN friendlies over the past month.
Howe has bemoaned his lack of luck, with injury issues not only denying him a place in our 25-man squad earlier this year but ending any hopes he had of spending the second half of last season on loan in the Championship.
All that aside, the NUFC boss has reaffirmed his belief in Lewis’ abilities, describing him as an “incredible athlete” who will show the club “what he’s capable of” if he can stay fit – comments that suggest he will be included in his 25-man squad this time around.
Here’s what Howe’s had to say about the 24-year-old after yet another frustrating spell on the sidelines for the former Norwich City star:
“Jamal, we hope, can stay fit and show us what he’s capable of.
“I believe in him as a player but he’s just had really bad luck.
“He’s got a lot to offer physically, we’ve certainly seen that in pre-season – an incredible athlete.
“He needs consistency of training at the moment that he needs, and hopefully he can get that.”
For me, Lewis lost all of his confidence at a crucial stage of his career under Steve Bruce, who saw him go from a marauding full-back – who received serious interest from Liverpool – to a timid talent playing well within himself.
Although he’s barely been fit during Howe’s time in charge, he showed signs of clear improvement in home games against Norwich and Burnley – only to get injured at Anfield a few weeks later.
Hopefully he can stay fit, get minutes under his belt and compete with Matt Targett for the left-back spot – or at the very least secure a good Championship loan move that may give him the boost he needs.
