Joelinton was named Newcastle United Player of the Year after an outstanding season, but Sammy McIlroy was quick to credit Eddie Howe for his hard work with the 25-year-old. Joelinton joined Newcastle from TSG Hoffenheim in 2019 as a centre-forward, but he’s scored just 14 goals with eight assists from 117 appearances.
The uncapped Brazilian looked finished at Newcastle after scoring two goals from 38 league games in 2019/20 and four goals from 31 league games in 2020/21, but Howe turned his career around with a positional shift to midfield. Joelinton was deployed in a box-to-box role and thrived. He even scored goals after returning to the attack (a brace against Norwich on April 23) so it’s like having a new striker.
McIlroy told the Belfast Telegraph: “What Eddie Howe has done to Joelinton is unbelievable. He seemed completely out of the picture but now he’s been transformed and is a completely different player. That is great management by Howe.” Joelinton is now a double threat with his confidence back – he can be a destroyer in midfield and focal point in attack.
Howe has the 25-year-old, Callum Wilson and Chris Wood up front, but he might want another centre-forward as Wilson has struggled with injuries while Wood has struggled for goals. Joelinton has been rejuvenated, but it might be a gamble to put the full scoring burden on him next season.
In other news, Matt Ritchie could return to Newcastle United’s first-team
