Steve Bruce names Newcastle United player who could return against Arsenal

The club’s captain has been sidelined since late November, along with team-mate Allan Saint-Maximin, after testing positive for Covid-19.

Lascelles, having recovered from the disease, returned to training late last month, but he won’t feature against Leicester City at St James's Park tomorrow. Instead, the 27-year-old could be involved in the January 9 FA Cup tie against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

United head coach Steve Bruce said: “Our big two (missing) at the moment are obviously the skipper and Saint-Maximin, and the skipper’s making better progress than Allan, so we might see him. I can't see him for Leicester, but hopefully for Arsenal, maybe, Jamaal might be in the mix. Certainly, I can't see Allan for the foreseeable future.”

Saint-Maximin returned to France to recuperate with his family last month. The winger has not spoken about his experience with Covid-19, though he denied rumours of a rift with Bruce last month.