Former Nottingham Forest defender Jamaal Lascelles has said that he was ‘really sad’ to see Jonjo Shelvey leave Newcastle on deadline day after playing together for so many years.
Shelvey completed a permanent transfer to the City Ground on the final day of the January window. Before his move was confirmed, the midfielder returned to Newcastle to say a last goodbye to his teammates in an emotional dressing room speech following the Magpies ’ Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Southampton.
Shelvey was with Newcastle for seven years, helping the club to win promotion back to the Premier League in 2017. He has found game time hard to come by this season due to injury, but will hope to have an impact on the second half of the season for Forest.
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Lascelles, who made the opposite move from the City Ground to St James’ Park initially in 2014, outlined the influence that Shelvey has had in the dressing room during his time at the club. The defender also made a prediction about his former teammate’s time at Forest.
"I was really sad to see Jonjo leave the club on Tuesday," Lascelles wrote in his programme notes on Saturday. "He came into the dressing room after the game to say his goodbyes and he did a little speech, and it was a poignant moment.
"We've both been part of the group who were there in the Championship and managed to get back into the Premier League. We've been on the journey together and he's our vice-captain for quite a few years so he's going to be a big miss.
"He's been a great player for us and he's such a loyal, trustworthy person. We will be keeping in touch and I wish him all the best - I'm sure he will do really well at Nottingham Forest."
The Reds’ Premier League clash against Leeds at the weekend came too soon for Shelvey to make his debut, with the midfielder just coming back from a calf injury. The 30-year-old will hope to be available for next weekend’s trip to Fulham at Craven Cottage.
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