Lascelles Backing For "Excellent" Darlow

By Tom Easterby - Newcastle United Club Reporter

Newcastle United defender Jamaal Lascelles has backed Karl Darlow to shine as he prepares to deputise for the injured Rob Elliot at Norwich City on Saturday.

United face the Canaries at Carrow Road (3pm kick-off) without the services of goalkeeper Elliot, after the Republic of Ireland international suffered an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury while on international duty earlier this week.

It is the second serious knee injury suffered by a Magpies custodian this season, after Tim Krul was sidelined for the season back in October.

But Lascelles believes that his former Nottingham Forest teammate Darlow - who has made one league appearance for Newcastle this season, away at West Brom in December - will prove a more than adequate stand-in for the in-form Elliot.

"It's never nice when footballers get injured, but that's sport for you - it happens everywhere. It just opens up a bit for Karl Darlow," the 22-year-old told Premier League Productions. "He's an excellent goalkeeper and I spoke to him (on Thursday) - he's really confident to get started.

"He's 25 years of age, he's played plenty of games in the Championship and he's just been waiting to play. Now he's got his opportunity, he'll be fine.

"He's an excellent goalkeeper. His distribution is really good and he's vocal as well - he commands the 18-yard box really well, which I think we need, so I'm looking forward to playing next to him."

Alex Neil's Canaries lie 17th in the table, three points above Benitez's side and just one place above the drop zone.

And, while Lascelles is under no illusions as to the importance of Saturday's visit to Norfolk, the centre half says the Magpies need to show they can handle the pressure if they're to preserve their top flight status in the final eight games of the campaign.

"We've been working really hard in training all week, so with the players we've got, the gaffer we've got and the staff, there's no reason why we can't go there and win," said Lascelles, who has started the last four Barclays Premier League games.

"There's a lot of pressure, but this is our sport - if you can't handle it, you can't play. You've just got to get on with it and stay confident. You can't be thinking about 'what if' - that's when something will happen. You've just got to be confident. You're playing next to world class players who have played for their national team, so that's really helpful as well."

Lascelles initially joined United in the summer of 2014 along with Forest teammate Darlow, before heading back to the City Ground until the following summer.

The Derby-born stopper, who has represented England all the way up to and including under-21 level, has been thrown into the mix in the last month, and has responded with some assured showings at the back.

But he's now keen to ensure he holds on to his spot at the heart of the Magpies' defence as the season reaches its critical stage.

"Coming to Newcastle, I thought maybe I wouldn't have played as much as I have, and I've been given quite a few opportunities to play and I'm really grateful for that," he said.

"Now I'm in the team, I've just got to really concentrate and keep going until the end of the season."