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Newcastle news: Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie separated TWICE in training bust-up
NEWCASTLE duo Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie had to be separated by team-mates after allegedly being involved in a “furious training ground bust-up”.
Lascelles missed the game against Chelsea at the weekend with an ankle injury but was reportedly frustrated with Rafael Benitez’s tactics ahead of the game.
The Newcastle boss set up a five-man defence to take on Maurizio Sarri’s side, which Lascelles reportedly wasn’t happy with.
And the Daily Mail now claim tensions reached boiling point on the training ground when the centre-back reacted to a comment from Ritchie.
It is said the two players exchanged some strong words during a training drill when it spilled over into the dressing room resulting in a physical confrontation.
Newcastle players reportedly intervened to separate the pair before things escalated any further.
A source told the Daily Mail: “Ritchie was basically saying, 'Just get on with it, even if you don’t like it, it’s the manager’s choice'.
“They had a row on the pitch but it wasn’t finished there.
“It all flared up again and Lascelles went for Ritchie in the changing-room.”
The report states both Ritchie and Lascelles have since made peace with Benitez also content with the reaction.
It is not the first time the Newcastle captain has been involved in a training ground bust-up.
Last year team-mates had to intervene when he had a fight with Mohamed Diame, which left Jonjo Shelvey with a broken finger as he attempted to break it up.
The change in tactics for the Chelsea game clearly didn’t sit well with Lascelles.
But Benitez insists there is no problem with any player expressing their opinions to him.
“All my life, I’ve liked to talk with players, so I talk with players, we decide what to do and then we stick with the plan, so everybody knows that,” Benitez said.
“If any player has different opinions, they can give their opinions and after we have to stick with the plan, that’s it.”