Joe Willock was one of Newcastle United’s best players as the Magpies beat Wolves 2-1 on Sunday.
It was a return to winning ways for Newcastle, with Eddie Howe making multiple changes to the side that lost to Manchester City the previous week.
That included recalling Joe Willock, who came into the midfield to replace the suspended Joelinton. It was the 23-year-old’s first start since the draw with Bournemouth where he suffered a hamstring injury.
It was an easy decision for Howe to select him, and he played an important role in the Magpies picking up a vital three points. The result lifts Newcastle up to fifth, four points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Willock was brilliant off the ball, which was incredibly important considering he was replacing Joelinton. And he was also able to have an impact in the final third.
The £25million man received a pass from Miguel Almiron, then cleverly found the Paraguayan again who was able to restore Newcastle’s lead. It was a great assist from Willock, who now has five goal contributions this season.
Bruno and Murphy sends messages to Joe Willock
After the game, Willock took to his official Instagram account to deliver a message to supporters.
Alongside a picture of him celebrating with Almiron, he wrote: “One city, One Team , One family. United forever. Felt good to be back in front of you guys today.”
The midfielder’s post received plenty of replies from his Toon teammates, including an interesting one from Bruno Guimaraes. It appears that the Brazilian has a new nickname for Willock.
Bruno replied: “Willockinho.”
Murphy also delivered a message to Willock, praising the former Arsenal man for his performance against Wolves.
He wrote: “Really enjoyed you today.”
There were also messages of support from Sean Longstaff, Anthony Gordon and Harrison Ashby.
He deserves the Newcastle plaudits
While Bruno’s new nickname for Willock is brilliant, we need to see a few more flicks and tricks from him before he resembles a true Brazilian.
In Brazil, adding ‘inho’ to someone’s names is like calling someone young or little. But it was actually a big performance from Willock, and one that Murphy really enjoyed.
So did the Toon Army, who have been delighted with Willock’s form this season. While he isn’t scoring as many goals, he is a much more rounded midfielder. He is perfectly suited to Howe’s system, and is clearly improving as a footballer.
Willock was excellent on his return to the starting XI, and hopefully we see more of ‘Willockinho’ against Nottingham Forest on Friday night.