Eddie Howe still has high hopes for Jamal Lewis at Newcastle United.
The left-back was signed by Steve Bruce in 2020, costing £15million from Norwich City. However, the move hasn’t gone to plan at all so far.
His initial form under Bruce wasn’t great, then he lost his place in the starting XI to Matt Ritchie towards the end of his debut campaign. Then season number two wasn’t much better.
Lewis barely featured at the start, then suspension handed him an opportunity shortly after Eddie Howe’s arrival. He played surprisingly well, but was then struck down by injury.
Matt Targett’s arrival then pushed Lewis down the pecking order, and he was subsequently dropped from the 25-man Premier League squad. He hasn’t played a competitive game since December.
Pre-season was meant to represent a fresh start for Lewis, but that sadly hasn’t happened.
Eddie Howe on Jamal Lewis
Howe spoke to the Shields Gazette, and spoke about the defender’s future at St James’ Park.
“Jamal, we hope, can stay fit and show us what he’s capable of,” he said.
“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, and hopefully he can get that.”
Kind words from Howe
It’s been a really disappointing summer for Lewis. He hasn’t played a single minute in pre-season, with his crowning achievement being second place in the go-karting event in Austria.
However, it’s really nice to see Howe speak so highly of Lewis. The Toon boss clearly rates the left-back, and has high hopes for him. Newcastle fans certainly felt the same when he arrived two years ago.
Lewis is still only 24-years-old, and has a long time to go in his career. He will still have hopes of becoming a regular at St James’ Park and that is not beyond the realms of possibility.
He has all the attributes to be a Premier League defender, especially in an Eddie Howe team. The main issue right now is fitness.
If he can get fully fit then he should hopefully get back in Howe’s squad, and act as backup to Targett. He’ll have competition though, with Paul Dummett signing a new contract in the summer.
But Lewis is the future – he just needs to deliver in the present.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
