Newcastle fans got a glimpse the £54m pairing of Jonjo Shelvey and Bruno Guimaraes on Saturday

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Bruno Guimaraes finally got to strut his stuff in a Newcastle United shirt on Saturday.

With the Magpies dominating Brentford thanks to an early red card for the Bees, Eddie Howe had the opportunity to shuffle his pack in the second half. And it was the first chance for Guimaraes to get some proper minutes under his belt.

So far, the £42million January signing has been limited to late cameos. He came off the bench late on against Everton, Aston Villa and West Ham. However, he didn’t have enough time to really put his own stamp on the game. But that changed against Brentford.

The 24-year-old replaced Jacob Murphy in the 64th minute, slotting into centre midfield as his fellow countryman Joelinton took up residency on the right flank.

Bruno finally got the chance to really show what he can do, and we saw the first glimpses of a flourishing partnership between the Brazil international and Jonjo Shelvey.

Shelvey and Bruno could pay as a pair together full time

While Newcastle’s man advantage certainly helped matters, the Shelvey and Bruno combo in the midfield dominated possession.

They combined brilliantly at times, always looking to get the ball forward and create opportunities. They were excellent out of possession too, snapping into tackles to win it back.

Shelvey is a key player once again – another player who has massively improved under Howe. And the Toon boss will no doubt be keen to play the £12million 2016 signing alongside the club’s most expensive recruit.

They only played together for 32 minutes, but what a 32 minutes it was. Bruno looked a class act, barking orders at his teammates as he tried to pull the strings. He certainly isn’t shy…

And neither is Shelvey, but we all know that with the way he plays.

The Shelvey/Bruno combination has real potential. Both are technically superb, and have the discipline to match. Shelvey’s defensive awareness has improved in recent months – an area where he has previously struggled.

Both are vocal and brave in possession, looking to feed attackers at every opportunity. As time goes by, Bruno will play more, and he could really flourish next to the former England international.