Newcastle United fans saw exactly how much they have missed Joelinton on the final day of the season.
For the first time since January 6th when Newcastle United beat Sunderland in the FA Cup, Eddie Howe named Joelinton in his starting XI.
The Brazil international suffered a thigh injury that day, and missed four months after undergoing surgery.
He made an impressive return during the recent 4-1 win over Burnley, but had not started a game until the final fixture of the season. Fans have been desperate for him to start, but Howe had been reluctant to throw him back into the side amid concerns over his fitness.
But those concerns vanished against Brentford, and Joelinton quickly proved why he is so vital to this Newcastle United team.
Impressive return to Newcastle XI for Joelinton
The 27-year-old took Elliot Anderson’s place in midfield against Brentford, lining up alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff.
His physicality and ability to drive with the ball added another dimension to Newcastle’s play, and made them much harder to play through. He combined brilliantly with Bruno as he always does, while he almost marked his return to the starting XI with a goal. However, he missed an absolute sitter after great work from Alexander Isak.
Despite that miss, it was a fantastic performance by the Brazilian, who recently signed a new contract at St James’ Park.
Newcastle United fans delighted to see Joelinton back
Joelinton did really well against Brentford, as he helped the Magpies finish seventh in the Premier League. That could be enough to qualify for the Europa Conference League if Man City win the FA Cup next weekend.
For Toon fans, they are excited to possibly return to Europe, while they have also hailed Joelinton on X (formerly known as Twitter) after he proved just how important he is.
One fan wrote: “Today for me Joelinton made a massive difference. He drove us forward and just had an all round presence. Think our game has missed that when he has been out. Now I hope the club build around him, Bruno and Isak and bring in quality along side them.”
“Joelinton has made ALL the difference today,” a second Newcastle supporter added.
Another member of the Toon Army remarked: “Joelinton in the middle has been such a big miss! Wonder where we would have finished if he didn’t get injured!”
“Unbelievable the difference Joelinton makes to our midfield man,” tweeted this fan.
A fifth fan agreed about the difference Joelinton makes, writing: “Joelinton makes a monumental difference in that midfield, his energy & physicality is something else.”
Finally, this supporter summed it up for everyone associated with Newcastle United: “I’ve missed big Joelinton.”
Next season can be even better if Joelinton is fit
Joelinton has been such a big miss this season, alongside Nick Pope, who was also back in the starting XI on Sunday.
Newcastle have had so many injuries that have massively hindered them, but the absences of Joelinton and Pope have hurt the most.
The Brazilian changes the way we play, as was evident against Brentford. We are a better team when he is available, which is very encouraging for next season, when he will also be joined by Sandro Tonali.
A midfield three of Joelinton, Tonali and Bruno is very tantalising, and indicates that next season could be even better for Newcastle United.
The post Newcastle United fans are all saying the same thing about Joelinton after beating Brentford appeared first on Geordie Boot Boys.
