Ben Foster says Newcastle United have a £40m player who he loves which every team would want

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Newcastle United have got some key players back from injury this season, and they have already had an impact.

The Magpies started the new Premier League season with a win, as Newcastle beat Southampton 1-0 on Saturday to start the year with three points.

It was not a great performance from Newcastle United, but they showed the battling qualities that made them so successful during the 2022/23 campaign.

Bruno Guimaraes was ‘immense’ on his first competitive appearance as captain, while Emil Krafth was ‘magnificent’ off the bench.

But it was great to have Nick Pope back in between the sticks, while it was even better to have Joelinton in midfield. They both missed the second half of last season and were sorely missed.

Now they are back, and Joelinton certainly made up for lost time.

Joelinton receives huge praise for his Newcastle performance against Southampton

The 28-year-old scored the winner for Newcastle, while Shearer described Joelinton as one of the Premier League’s best midfielders after the win.

It is incredibly high praise for a player who only started playing in that role a couple of years ago, but it is praise he absolutely deserves.

And the praise for Joelinton has continued, with Ben Foster admitting on his YouTube channel that every team wishes they had a player like the Brazilian enforcer.

“I think they missed him quite a lot last season when he was injured,” he said.

“I do, I love him, though. For what they bought him for, a lot of money, and he got ridiculed, he got absolutely ridiculed. He wasn’t an out-and-out goalscorer, but look at him now. He’s just… I love him.

“He’s the sort of player you want on your team. He’s the sort of player every team wants to have. Works his socks off, gets up, gets down, physical, gets involved. You can tell he’s a team player.

“I do, I absolutely love him.”

Newcastle fans will agree with Ben Foster about Joelinton

It was an all action performance from Joelinton against Southampton. He was everywhere, and he had to be after the Magpies went down to 10 men.

His energy, work rate and power off the ball was pivotal, and they are qualities that Eddie Howe wishes he could have leaned on more last season.

But now it is a new campaign, and Newcastle are fortunate to have a fully fit Joelinton. As Ben Foster says, he is the type of player that you want in your team. He does the dirty work in the middle of the park and is not afraid of a battle. If anything, Joelinton thrives off the physicality.

The £40million man took his goal extremely well too, with a brilliant finish into the bottom corner handing Newcastle what could be a vital victory come the end of the season.

Foster absolutely loves Joelinton, and so do the Toon Army. His redemption is a joy to watch, and it always feels extra special when he excels in a black and white shirt.

Newcastle United are lucky to have Joelinton.