There was a brilliant moment during Eddie Howe’s USA press conference, which took place during the earlier hours of Sunday morning.
Just as Jamaal Lascelles discussed the leadership group behind the scenes, comprising of him, Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Callum Wilson and Matt Ritchie, the boss took the mic just as the presser looked to end and paid tribute to his captain.
Not only did he confirm the 29-year-old would remain skipper for the 2023/24 season – suggesting he’s going nowhere – Howe revealed what a huge role the defender has played behind the scenes, hailing what an “unbelievable captain” he’s been since his arrival.
Watch the moment of sheer class below, highlighting what a great leader, motivator and all round bloke Eddie Howe really is:
“I just want to add something, I just want to say with Jamaal in this group he has been an unbelievable captain.
“Captaincy does not just exist on the pitch, it has to exist off it 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.
“There was a group of people off the pitch 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.”
keep one of the class players in the team Allan saint-maximin if at all possible,
des lisle(Quote)