Jamal Lewis
Northern Ireland defender Jamal Lewis wants to “help as much as (he) can” in his bid to earn a recall to the international squad after inking a short-term deal with Championship side Preston North End.
The 27-year-old, who has been without a club since his release from Newcastle United in the summer, has signed a contract at Deepdale that runs until the end of December.
It is almost a year since Lewis last made a senior appearance due to injuries, his last game coming in November 2024 for Sao Paulo against Paranaese, but he has been asked to step in at Preston due to injuries within the squad.
And with Michael O’Neill surely watching on with interest, particularly with international team-mate Ali McCann also at Preston, Lewis is eager to get on the pitch and start impressing again.
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“I spoke to the manager. Obviously he knows of me and my running power, what I can give to any team that I play for. I think how the team plays should suit me and I should be able to gel with the team quite well,” Lewis said.
“I just want to be able to get as much knowledge and information and get everything moving as quickly as possible so I can just help as much as I can.”
Lewis was released by Newcastle in the summer after 36 appearances for the Premier League club, while he had a loan spell with Watford as well as Sao Paulo during his time at St James’s Park.
The former Norwich City star has won 39 caps for Northern Ireland, whom he qualifies for through his Belfast-born mother, but has been an infrequent member of the squad since O’Neill returned to the job due to a lack of game-time and injury.
Lewis could make his Preston debut this weekend against Southampton and Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom was delighted the left-back was available.
“We’ve been struck by a few injuries which has made the squad look a bit thin, so we felt we needed more cover in the short term and I’m really happy we’ve been able to bring in someone of Jamal’s calibre,” said Heckingbottom.
“He brings experience of playing at the highest level, he’s earned promotion out of this division, and he’s been playing international football since 2018.
“Most importantly, he’s shown us he’s really excited by the opportunity and he’s ready to give everything while he’s with us.”