27-year-old ‘machine’ is not able to train for Newcastle, yet Howe keeps starting him

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While it is certainly not time to panic, Eddie Howe clearly has a lot of problems at Newcastle United that desperately need to be rectified.

One issue is the midfield, with the trio of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton not really clicking. They looked brilliant together in the first game of the season, but that feels like a long time ago now.

They really struggled on Saturday night against Brighton. Newcastle’s midfield were completely dominated. The Seagulls broke through them time and time again, with the Magpies having no clue as to how to stop them.

The balance is not quite right in the middle of the park, and that is something that Howe must look at during the international break. He has got two weeks to ponder his team for Brentford, and he will already be considering changes.

One player who feels under threat is Joelinton, and his place in the side is now even more questionable following a report from the Telegraph.

Joelinton has not been training for Newcastle

According to the Telegraph, Joelinton has not been able to train for Newcastle during the week in buildup to games. Despite this, Howe has started him every time.

The Brazilian picked up an injury during the defeat to Manchester City, and has not looked right ever since.

He was a doubt for Saturday’s trip to Brighton, but was passed fit to start. However, it was clearly a mistake to pick him in the starting XI, as he had little to no impact at the Amex Stadium.

The 27-year-old, who has been described as a ‘machine‘ in the past, is clearly not fully fit and it is massively hindering his performances.

It is therefore strange that Howe has continued to select him, despite having both Sean Longstaff and Elliot Anderson on the bench.

Howe will be considering changes to his midfield against Brentford, and it will be interesting to see if he persists with Joelinton amid his injury concerns. He is now set to play for Brazil during the international break, which probably won’t do his quest for full fitness any favours.