Newcastle United’s season could have been very different had Joelinton been fit for the entire campaign.
The 27-year-old is currently absent with a thigh injury, having underwent surgery after sustaining the problem during January’s Tyne Wear derby win over Sunderland.
Joelinton was also suffering from a hamstring injury earlier in the campaign, which forced him to miss seven games.
In total, the Brazil international has missed 22 games this season due to injury, in what has been a stop-start year for him.
But he is due back from injury soon, while his long-term future at St James’ Park is sorted after he signed a new contract with the club.
Newcastle United have had major midfield problems
Joelinton is not the only midfielder who has been injured for Newcastle, and there are multiple reasons why Eddie Howe has not been able to put his pre-season plan into motion.
Joe Willock has missed most the campaign and will not play any more part, while Sandro Tonali has been banned since the end of October. His suspension has caused a major issue, with Newcastle losing their marquee summer signing.
Those absences, combined with Joelinton’s, have forced Howe to deviate away from the plan he had at the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
Where Eddie Howe wanted to play Joelinton this season
According to the Athletic, Howe was not intending to use Joelinton solely as a centre midfielder this season.
They report that the £40million man was going to be used as a left winger much more, particularly away from home.
The Athletic add that it was determined that the Magpies’ best XI on the road would be Joelinton on the left, with Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock operating in the middle.
However, there has not been a single game this season when Howe has been able to use that foursome.
That is why Joelinton is so valuable to Newcastle United
While Joelinton has shot to fame due to his transformation into a centre midfielder, a lot of his good work last season came in attack.
One performance that comes to mind was in the 6-1 drubbing of Tottenham, where he excelled out wide. He was also brilliant there in a 0-0 draw with Arsenal, helping Dan Burn deal with the dangerous Bukayo Saka.
Joelinton is a great player to use on the left wing. He can impact games offensively, but he also makes the team more solid. His power and athleticism gives us great balance, and it would have been a good tool to use this season – particularly away from home in the Champions League.
While Joelinton has barely played on the wing this season, Howe’s intentions to use him there sum up how important he is to the club, and why it was so vital that we extended his contract.
Replacing him would have cost an incredible amount of money, as you would really struggle to find a like-for-like replacement. I can’t imagine there are many players in world football who are just like Joelinton.
He is a unique talent, and it will be exciting to see what he can do next season, be it in the middle or out wide.
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