Newcastle
The 27-year-old has proved himself to be a massive player for the Magpies
Newcastle United held AC Milan to a draw on Tuesday night, and they did it without one of their most important players.
Eddie Howe managed to guide Newcastle into the Champions League last season, and was helped by the efforts of Joelinton.
The 27-year-old has proved himself to be a massive player for the Magpies since Howe became manager. The Toon boss has converted Joelinton into a dominant midfielder, having previously flopped as a centre forward.
Joelinton is a regular starter for Newcastle, but is currently out of the side due to injury. He missed Saturday’s win over Brentford, while he was also unavailable for the Champions League encounter.
This was due to a knee problem that has been plaguing him, and it will now keep him out for a few weeks.
Newcastle have coped so far during his absence, but Howe has admitted that the Brazil international was a big miss at the San Siro on Tuesday night.
Eddie Howe admits Newcastle missed Joelinton against AC Milan
After the 0-0 draw, Howe spoke to TNT Sports Brazil, and was asked about Joelinton’s absence.
“Joe is a big player for us,” he said.
“And he has been for a number of months. Big, big personality and a big physical presence for us.
“We missed his ball-winning skills in the middle of the pitch. But hopefully he will be back soon. I don’t think it’s a serious injury, but enough to keep him out currently.”
His energy would have helped Newcastle in midfield
While he has not been playing at his best, mainly due to this knee injury, Joelinton was a major miss against AC Milan.
He was the type of player we needed in midfield in the San Siro, as his incredible energy and power would have helped us disrupt the Italian side’s rhythm much more effectively.
It was the type of game where he would have thrived, and perhaps the result might have been different if he had played.
But his knee issue forced him to miss out, and handed others a chance to impress. Sean Longstaff has played really well in Joelinton’s absence, while Elliot Anderson has been able to get more first-team minutes under his belt.
