Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew to name successor to club captaincy ‘as late as possible’

Alan Pardew, Newcastle United

Related Links

Teams

Players

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew insists he will not name the club’s new captain until a week before the start of the new season.

Former skipper Kevin Nolan left the Tyneside outfit without a leader following his departure for West Ham United in June.

Before naming Nolan’s successor, Pardew wants to see the players complete their pre-season training, regardless of the ideas he has for the midfielder’s replacement.

“I have ideas, but I will probably pick it with a week to go,” he told the club’s official website.

“We will see how pre-season unfolds and see how the squad assembles itself, how it looks and what shape it is in.

“I will then take a view from there because it is an important role, and possibly a few players could wear the armband during the pre-season friendlies.”

The Magpies are also without a No.9 following Andy Carroll’s record departure in January and at a club where such a shirt has regularly brought legendary status to the player wearing it, Pardew knows it is another decision he needs to leave to the last moment.

“The No.9 shirt is equally important. I will leave the No.9 as late as I can,” he continued.

“I know just what that shirt means to this football club, but there will be a few contenders who could wear that shirt and do it justice.

“It is an important shirt and I might think of giving it to a player who doesn’t get weighed down by it. I will have to assess the characters of the players to make sure that doesn’t happen.”