Amidst all the chaos and tension of our recent win over Chelsea this past weekend, one notable event seems to have fallen under the radar for many Newcastle fans.

And that was Jamaal Lascelles’ return to the first team squad after over a year out due to injury, where the captain has been recovering from ACL surgery.

Now the season is drawing to a close, and with just two games left to play in the Premier League, is there a chance that we could see Lascelles given one last chance to lace up his boots and play for us this campaign?

Forgotten man makes appearance of 2025

For the first time since March 2024, Jamaal Lascelles started his first game back for Newcastle United yesterday.

Having been present on the subs bench at St James’ Park on Sunday, the 31-year-old finally got some minutes in a behind-closed-doors game against Celtic FC B on Tuesday afternoon.

And it’s a welcome sight to see that even after over 13 months out, Lascelles looks to have enjoyed a steady performance against the Scottish giants.

The centre-back twice almost found the back of the net in the opening minutes, heading just wide from Leo Shahar’s free-kick, before a later header (also delivered from a Shahar corner) was caught by the goalkeeper.

Along with Lascelles managing a full 45 minute cameo for the U-21s, January signing Baran Yildiz also started following his arrival from Turkey earlier this year, with Ben Parkinson, Garang Kuol and Cathal Heffernan featuring.

Back playing football in a Newcastle United shirt 😍

Love it, Jamaal 👊 pic.twitter.com/YbZFcjYEhW

— Newcastle United (@NUFC) May 13, 2025

Newcastle United Under-21s (first-half): Adam Harrison, Leo Shahar, Jamaal Lascelles, Cathal Heffernan, Dylan Charlton, Rory Finneran, Anthony Munda, Alfie Harrison, Johnny Emerson, Trevan Sanusi, Sean Neave.

Newcastle United Under-21s (second-half): Adam Harrison, Rory Powell, Harry Powell, Ciaran Thompson, Dylan Charlton, Scott Bailey, Jay Turner-Cooke, Baran Yildiz, Kyle Fitzgerald, Garang Kuol, Ben Parkinson.

Rising star stakes claim for senior squad spot

Should we get the job done against Arsenal on Sunday, and are afforded a ‘free hit’ against Everton on the final day, it’s likely we’ll see some of our talent youngsters given the nod to feature.

One of whom who we can expect to see at least on the bench will be Sean Neave, who again found the back of the net for the opener against Celtic FC B.

Successfully rebounding from Alfie Harrison’s shot, it’s yet another contribution from the 17-year-old, who will be itching for first team minutes after previously only making the bench in the league and Carabao Cup.

St James’ Park on Sunday the 25th of May could indeed be a true ‘changing of the guard’ moment: a great way to close a monumental season should Jamaal Lascelles sign off his career at Newcastle as we properly begin to see a star like Sean Neave begin his.