Newcastle United news: Pundit verdict on Bruno Guimaraes starting v West Ham after ‘huge’ reveal
Noel Whelan has insisted Bruno Guimaraes will have to settle for a place on the Newcastle United bench against West Ham on Saturday.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, admitted the 24-year-old may have to wait for an injury or a defeat to break into the starting XI.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday (18 February), Eddie Howe revealed he expects Guimaraes to “start a lot of games” and “be a huge player” for Newcastle in the future.
The Magpies boss insisted “watching and learning” from the bench is important for the midfielder after joining from Lyon last month.
However, he admitted the new arrival will be “frustrated” by the situation.
Whelan insisted Guimaraes would have to “bide his time” before stepping into the starting lineup.
Whelan told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “Even though you’ve paid £40million for a player, you can’t disrupt a winning side.
“I think Guimaraes will understand that. I don’t think it’s a bad thing that he’s sitting there, watching the game, learning about the game.
“He’s still getting used to his new teammates and all these training sessions will help him as well a little bit more. He will feel more comfortable, get used to his surroundings, get used to his teammates.
“Right now, when Newcastle are winning football matches, I don’t think any player has cause to go and bang on the manager’s door and ask: ‘Why am I not playing?’
“His time will come. Eddie Howe knows that, the player knows that. He’s been around long enough to know that this is the way things go when you start winning football matches and you’re new to a football club.
“It’s about biding your time. He will get that game time, there’s no doubt about it. Whether someone has a bad performance, gets injured or they lose a game, then that is the opportunity.
“You can bring in that player the fold and into the XI. He’s getting bit-part time when he’s coming on. He’s getting games when they’re winning and that’s a good thing. That will give him confidence as well.
“Bruno’s not coming in with pressure that you need to fight to get something out of the game. He’s coming into games where they’re actually winning matches.
“Therefore, he can be a little bit more relaxed with his performances when he comes on.”
Guimaraes has come on in the dying minutes in Newcastle’s wins over Everton and Aston Villa.
The Magpies have won three successive games ahead of Saturday’s (19 February) early kick-off against West Ham.
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