‘Aggressive’ Newcastle United player has had a secret injury problem this season

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Newcastle United are third in the Premier League right now, but are yet to really hit their stride.

It has been a strange start to the season for Newcastle United. Eddie Howe’s side have not played well, yet are unbeaten and have the chance to go top of the Premier League if they beat Fulham on Saturday.

There are multiple reasons as to why Newcastle have not been at their best. Fabian Schar’s suspension was a big issue, despite Emil Krafth performing well in his absence.

But even Schar’s return against Wolves did not inspire greatness. Newcastle were not great at Molineux, with Eddie Howe having to rely on his bench to change the game.

One of Newcastle’s problems has been in midfield. Bruno Guimaraes is not performing at the levels we know he is capable of, while Sean Longstaff tends to thrive when those around him are playing well.

Joelinton is not playing well for Newcastle

As for Joelinton, his start to the season has been curious.

Joelinton was incredible against Southampton, producing a man of the match performance and scoring the winner as 10-man Newcastle kicked off the campaign with victory.

Since that moment, the 28-year-old has really struggled. Joelinton has not been as physically imposing in the middle of the park, while he has been incredibly sloppy in possession. The Brazilian has consistently lost the ball in key areas, and it resulted in him being replaced at half time against Wolves.

Possible reason for Joelinton’s poor form

Now a new report has suggested why the £40million man has not been at his best as of late.

According to the Telegraph, Joelinton has actually been suffering from a groin problem and did not train ahead of last weekend’s game against Wolves.

It remains unclear when this groin issue emerged, so it is uncertain if this is the reason that Joelinton has been below par.

But Joelinton’s game is all about his physicality – on and off the ball. Eddie Howe called Joelinton ‘aggressive’ after the win over Southampton, but he has not used that aggression in the right way in recent games. And that has resulted in some poor performances.

• READ MORE: Who is Joelinton? Age, Height, Chant, Position, Socials and More

Joe Willock has put Joelinton’s place in the Newcastle XI under threat

Joe Willock took his place against Wolves for the second half, and was absolutely outstanding on his return from his own injury.

Willock’s performance has put Joelinton under pressure, as there is now a strong argument that the former Arsenal man should be starting on the left of Howe’s midfield three.

It will be interesting to see who gets the nod to start against Fulham on Saturday. There will be a temptation to go with Willock, but there might be some reluctance to start him so soon after another injury given his recent fitness issues.