Jamaal Lascelles reacts to his England snub after leading Newcastle up to 10th place

Lascelles has been outstanding for Newcastle United this season.

The 24-year-old led Rafa Benitez's side to a 2-1 win over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

Newcastle are 10th in the Premier League table, and 10 points clear of the relegation zone, ahead of Sunday's home game against Arsenal.

Lascelles had been backed for an England call-up for last month's friendlies against Italy and Holland.

However, Gareth Southgate, preparing for the summer's World Cup finals, overlooked the former Under-21 international.

“First and foremost, I need to keep playing well for Newcastle every week, trying to finish as high as we can, then if he decides to select me in the summer, I'd be over the moon," said Lascelles.

“But, again, I'm not going to let my head drop about it if it doesn't happen, because that's football.

“There are other players in my position who are doing really well at their clubs, as we've seen by how well they've done in the last two friendlies.

“So it would be a nice achievement for me, but, first and foremost, I'm concentrating on doing well for Newcastle.”