Newcastle United pair Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie have been announced as the joint winners of the North-East Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award, the Northern Echo report.
The duo were a fundamental part of Newcastle’s promotion back to the Premier League, and have both hit the ground running as the Magpies look to sustain their top-flight stature.
Lascelles, 24, was made club captain by manager Rafael Benitez last summer and has found the back of the net on two occasions this season, both being winning goals.
Twitter: Congrats to #NUFC duo Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie – joint winners of the North-East Football Writers’ Associa… https://t.co/sKWlVZID6O (@Scottwilsonecho)
Ritchie, 28, joined the club last summer from Bournemouth for a fee worth £12 million and played a pivotal role throughout the season as Newcastle were crowned champions of the Championship. The Scottish international made 48 appearances in all competitions and scored 18 goals.
The duo were both awarded the accolade, taking over from Jermain Defoe as the current holder, with Defoe winning the award last year for his time with Sunderland.
