Newcastle United may have found their new Tino Asprilla after ‘huge’ news in last 24 hours – pundit
Bruno Guimaraes could become a Newcastle United cult hero – just like Tino Asprilla, according to Frank McAvennie.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-West Ham and Scotland striker delivered his verdict after Guimaraes’ goalscoring full Newcastle debut last night (10 March).
The Brazilian scored his side’s winner in the 2-1 victory over Southampton with a stunning backheel volley.
After five substitute appearances, he was handed a starting berth at St. Mary’s with his compatriot Joelinton unavailable.
As quoted by the Daily Mail today (11 March), Eddie Howe insisted Guimaraes was going to be a “huge” player for him and is “capable of the unexpected”.
“A Brazilian doing stuff like that, and when he’s at St. James’ Park, it doesn’t get much better than that,” McAvennie told Football Insider correspondent Ben Wild.
“The skills are great. He will be doing it in front of a crowd that love all that, other crowds don’t like it.
“At St. James’ Park players will try stuff and they will love it. Even if it doesn’t come off because they are trying it, it’s great.
“If you get a Brazilian player in all that with the samba style it will be great.
“The last player they had like that from around there, he wasn’t Brazilian but Colombian, Tino Asprilla. Everyone loved him.”
Asprilla’s 18 goals and 19 assists in 63 Newcastle United appearances earned him cult hero status amongst the Geordie faithful.
Guimaraes, 24, moved to St. James’ Park from Lyon for £40million in January, and is under contract until the summer of 2026.
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