Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles has been rewarded for a fine start to the Premier League season with a new six-year contract.
Lascelles, 23, signed a new deal on Friday that will keep him at St James' Park until 2023, having scored two winning goals already in 2017-18, against Swansea City and Stoke City.
The defender joined from Nottingham Forest in 2014 and spent an additional year on loan with his former side, meaning this is his third campaign with Newcastle's squad.
Rafael Benitez made him captain at the start of last season, in which Newcastle won promotion from the Championship.
"I'm over the moon," Lascelles told the club's website.
"Since I came to Newcastle, I've been happy; I love the city, the football and the fans. Everything about it, I enjoy so I'm happy to be tied down for the next six years here.
"We've got a group of ambitious lads, the fans are excellent and the manager has got trust in me, so I'm really happy here and I want to take the club as high as it can go."
Benitez has been impressed by Lascelles' development since his own arrival at the club last year.
"As soon as I made the decision to make Jamaal the captain of Newcastle United, he rose to the challenge and he has developed as a player and a character," said Benitez.
"He has proven himself to be a very good leader and a good role model too.
"He has also improved as a player, responding well to our advice and guidance and getting better with every game.
"I would like to congratulate him on his new contract with the club, it is very well deserved."
Lascelles has appeared in all seven of Newcastle's Premier League games this season, with Benitez's men due to play away to Southampton after the international break.
