Eddie Howe believes there is ‘no one better’ than £40m Newcastle star when he’s on form

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It proved a very enjoyable Saturday for Newcastle United.

Eddie Howe’s side followed up their tight penalty shootout win over Blackburn in the FA Cup earlier this week by recording a 3-0 Premier League victory over Wolves.

Newcastle won at home for the first time since December to move up to eighth in the table and raise fresh hope in regards to a potential challenge for the Europa League spots.

Indeed, there were a number of standout performances against Wolves. Howe praised all of Fabian Schar, Tino Livramento and Joe Willock for their respective roles.

After the game, Howe paid special mention to Bruno Guimaraes.

Bruno Guimaraes: Eddie Howe praises Newcastle star

Speaking to The Shields Gazette after the game, Howe said of the £40m star: “I thought he was very good, he had moments where he showed his class and when he’s at the top of his game there’s no one better at playing the role the way he does.

“He was very good and I was pleased with his impact in the first goal because he’s ran the full length of the pitch on the counter-attack and he’s had to make up a lot of yards to get a vital contribution to that goal.”

That is especially interesting as the Brazilian’s suitability as a No.6 has been called into question at times. Pundit Danny Murphy recently suggested Guimaraes was simply “not a great athlete” and the player himself has previously claimed he would like to play further forward.

At times, the lack of a defensive midfielder in the squad has been noted upon by pundits. Still, performances like the one against Wolves are hard to ignore.

Bruno Guimaraes: No-look pass against Wolves

While it was Guimaraes who helped force the first goal on Saturday after his shot was deflected into Alexander Isak’s path, that wasn’t the only moment of brilliant attacking invention.

The 26-year-old was desperately unlucky not to have an assist with Newcastle already 2-0 up. He played a fantastic no-look pass floated above the Wolves defence and over to the onrushing Miguel Almiron but the forward could not apply the finish.

Guimaraes is capable of incredible things on the ball, that much is obvious.

If Newcastle are going to make a late run for the Europa League, they need their Brazilian at his brilliant best.