Newcastle fans are heaping praise on Jamaal Lascelles after his end of season tweet, and begging the defender not to jump ship this summer.

There’s a strange feeling around Tyneside at the moment. On one hand, the club is looking in good shape to challenge for a second consecutive top ten finish next season, and you would be hard pushed to find a fan base more infatuated with their manager than the Magpies.

However, the lack of certainty surrounding Rafael Benitez’s future, combined with the overriding sense that owner Mike Ashley will once again forget his promises about summer spending, has left fans fearing it could still all go so wrong.

One player who has stood head and shoulders above the rest through thick and thin since his arrival is Jamaal Lascelles, who was handed the captaincy by Benitez and has gone from strength to strength since.

The young defender was unlucky not to grab a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad, and averaging a remarkable seven clearances per game it’s perhaps no surprise to see top six clubs sniffing around.

The 24 year-old, who was crowned the club’s player of the year earlier this week, tweeted his gratitude to the fans on Wednesday, and some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…