Newcastle defender Jamaal Lascelles says his team-mates 'need to play with more heart'

Jamaal Lascelles remonstrates with his team-mates at St Mary's on Saturday

Jamaal Lascelles says Newcastle players lack 'fight and hunger and desire' following their 3-1 weekend defeat at Southampton.

The defender, who came on as a substitute at half-time at St Mary's, could not prevent the club from suffering their ninth consecutive loss which left them deep in the relegation mire.

Rafa Benitez's side are six points from Premier League safety with six games left to play this season and 22-year-old Lascelles has slammed his team-mates for not taking "full responsibility".

"We need bigger characters on the pitch, players who care and who are going to get after each other," Lascelles told the BBC.

Rafael Benitez believes some of his Newcastle players are playing scared

"We have lacked it this season and no matter how good you are, if you don't have that fight and hunger and desire, it doesn't matter.

"We had Steve McClaren who is a great manager and now we've got Rafa Benitez , who is a great manager, so it's clearly not that.

Benitez felt his Newcastle side lacked character and composure as they were beaten by Southampton Benitez felt his Newcastle side lacked character and composure as they were beaten by Southampton

"It's the players and we have to take full responsibility. It's ourselves who need to change it and not the manager.

"We need to play with more heart.

"We've got flair players, tricky players, players with loads of talent, but we need more heart, we need more desire."