Bruno Guimaraes tipped for first Newcastle start after ‘brilliant’ news
Noel Whelan has tipped Bruno Guimaraes to earn his first Newcastle start with Eddie Howe’s side facing a fixture pile-up in the next fortnight.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, hailed Howe for his “brilliant” management of the 24-year-old January acquisition.
Guimaraes is yet to start since joining Newcastle for a reported £40million in January.
Speaking in a pre-match press conference ahead of today’s (5 March) clash with Brighton and quoted by the Daily Mail, Howe claimed the midfielder is “not going to want to sit and watch for a long period of time”.
The Englishman insisted it is “up to Guimaraes to play so well that I don’t want to take him out” when he gets the nod.
When asked if the midfielder is ready to start, Whelan told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury: “He’s seen enough games now, surely?
“He’s sat on the sidelines and the bench enough. Howe has given him these five-to-ten-minute spells on the pitch to understand what the Premier League and the structure of the team is all about.
“It can be difficult to adjust, and Howe has managed him brilliantly through this period. The club’s been winning, and there’s no real reason to change it.
“He’s dealt with that pressure of having a £40-odd million player sat on the bench. But they’ve got four games coming up in the next two weeks, and this is an opportunity for him to come into that line-up.
“This is why you have a squad, and to have a player like Guimaraes to come in – it’s not a bad replacement is it?
“I think Howe will be assessing it, and if anyone is flagging a little or he wants to change the system – the only logical call is to bring him in.”
Guimaraes has come off the bench in the last four Magpies fixtures.
He made a 26-minute cameo away at Brentford last week (26 February).
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