Newcastle United fans will surely love photos of Joelinton from Sunday’s game against Leicester City as he continues his Magpies revival.
Joelinton played the full 90 minutes at St James’ Park on Saturday as the Toon defeated the Foxes 2-1 thanks to a dramatic last-minute goal from Bruno Guimaraes. The former of the two Brazilians impressed during the game, picking up a SofaScore rating of 7/10 playing in the middle of the park.
A couple of images shared on Twitter by journalist Andrew Musgrove showed just how much of a physical presence he was in midfield. Leicester’s Nampalys Mendy appears to be all over Joelinton, but it is still the Senegal international who comes off worst during the coming-together. Musgrove even labelled Joelinton a “unit”.
Joelinton is a unit. Head locked and dragged down but Mendy still comes off worst. #NUFC pic.twitter.com/roP1SDGhky
— Andrew Musgrove (@ADMusgrove) April 18, 2022
TIF Thoughts on Joelinton’s transition…
The 25-year-old’s transition has been remarkable. Signed as a striker in a record deal from Hoffenheim, it was soon obvious he would struggle in the Premier League leading the line, and even now, he has managed just 12 strikes in 112 games for the north-east outfit. Unsurprisingly, his poor displays in front of goal led to intense criticism from the fans.
However, standing at 6ft 1in and weighing almost 13 stone, he has the physical profile to cause havoc elsewhere on the pitch. His qualities seem most suited to central midfield, and he has been one of Newcastle’s most important players this term.
Playing in a slightly more advanced role than Jonjo Shelvey and Guimaraes, £16.2m-valued Joelinton has averaged more than one dribble per game as well as 2.3 tackles, and has been involved in all but three Premier League fixtures to date.
Has Joelinton's transition surprised you?
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He appears to be relishing his new role and continues to show why he remains a part of the team despite not doing what he was originally signed to do. It is now no surprise he has stayed in the first XI as Newcastle have moved up the table, and the club’s supporters will be hoping he continues to contribute.