A lot of Newcastle United fans have flocked to a post from Lee Ryder, which has relayed comments made by Steve Bruce after the Toon’s 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace about Joe Willock.
Newcastle have signed the 21-year-old from Arsenal on loan until the end of the season, and Bruce believes that he will bring “energy and a goal from midfield.”
Bruce also added that Willock would be in “contention“, which has baffled these Toon fans who want to see him start against Southampton.
“Hendrick and shelvey invisible and he’s in WHAT??????? Contention!!!”
“Just got here and he should be the first name on the sheet. We have missed a ball running midfielder since Diame left.”
“They need him in midfield because it’s dire”
Do you think Willock should start on Saturday?
Yes, get him involved
No, have him on the bench
Willock in 78 appearances for the Gunners has scored 11 goals in all competitions.
To put that into context, Jonjo Shelvey has only scored 16 goals for the Toon in 156 appearances across all competitions, so Willock could be exactly what they are missing in terms of a goal threat.
These comments from Bruce continued to draw in many Newcastle fans who all had their say.
“1 goal in 40 games, worse than the brothers from Shields (& Hendrick)”
“Here’s an idea steve, u want energy, drop both shelvey and hendrick, its not rocket science”
“Scored 2 goals for Arsenal in 40 appearances according to wiki”
The Toon had the majority of the possession against the Eagles and also managed a good number of shots but once they fell behind they could not get back into the game, and they will have to hope that Willock could prove to be the difference in the remainder of the season.
These fans may have jumped on Bruce a little harshly for simply stating Willock was available for selection, though perhaps this was more a sign that they are desperate for something to change on the pitch in terms of personnel and results.