Eddie Howe says £40m Newcastle player was the one positive in the defeat to Nottingham Forest

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Eddie Howe has claimed that there was one positive to take from Newcastle United’s embarrassing defeat to Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.

Newcastle have looked really off their game in recent weeks but Tuesday’s game was a new low under Howe as the team looked completely out of sorts.

In an interview with the press after the game, however, Howe identified that the return of Joelinton from injury was massive for the team and he should have a big impact in the next few games.

Howe says Joelinton was a ‘massive miss’ for Newcastle

Joelinton suffered an injury in Newcastle’s 3-0 victory over Fulham in the Premier League, meaning he missed the trip to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and the visit to Kenilworth Road as they lost 1-0 to Luton.

Newcastle lacked a lot of physicality in the midfield in both of those games, something that Joelinton brings in abundance and will again will be looking to utilise against Liverpool.

The £40m Brazilian is a unique kind of player for Newcastle and while he might not add much in terms of goalscoring, his driving runs are key in creating chances for other players.

It’s going to be a very difficult month for Howe and Newcastle who have some very tough fixtures coming up, but the return of the 27-year-old should be a big boost for the team who are hoping to get back into Champions League contention.

In his interview, Howe said: “It’s really good that we had Joelinton back with us today, he has been a massive miss for us. We’ve also got players who are still finding their fitness from playing matches which is never ideal.”

Newcastle need to get a big result

Newcastle’s poor form has them sitting in eighth in the table and it doesn’t look like it could be improving any time soon with Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa up next.

Howe likely needs to get a big result in at least one of those games to improve the mood amongst the Newcastle fanbase who are not against the manager, but a lot can change in a month’s time.

Howe is going to have to rely on players like Joelinton, who have dug him out of a tough spot before, to find a new level of energy and fitness from somewhere if they are to compete with the very best.