Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope has been blown away by the impact Bruno Guimaraes has on the team behind the scenes at Darsley Park.
Taking to an interview with talkSPORT, the England international spoke of the warm-welcome he received from the 25-year-old, despite the Brazilian only arriving six months prior to his arrival.
“Yeah, Bruno [Guimaraes] is just someone that, when I came to the club, was extremely welcoming to me and he’s just great in the dressing room in general really,” said Pope.
“But someone who has come to the club, when I came to the club sorry, [he] really welcomed me into dressing room.
“And I suppose from my time at Burnley, when there was a new-born in the dressing room – if you like – you know, we get a little gift or something for the new dad or the new family.
“[It was] something that I’ve just kind of was used to doing I suppose. So yeah, it’s great to be able to give that to him before the World Cup, [to] him and his family.”
Pope says Guimaraes is great in the NUFC dressing room
Despite having joined the club less than a year ago, the Brazil international has become an important leader on Tyneside.
Whilst his contributions on the pitch have been crucial to the success Eddie Howe’s side has enjoyed this term, it appears his presence off the pitch has had an equally large effect.
Guimaraes has been a transformative signing for the Magpies. His dominant presence on the ball is outstanding, and his emphatic defensive abilities mean he is a brilliant all-rounder in the middle of the park.
Just by looking at the team’s togetherness at St James’ Park, this is a great indicator of how close-knit this Newcastle squad is.
Even the likes of Pope have come in and added fantastic leadership to the Toon’s XI, so high praise for the Brazilian must be of huge value behind the scenes at Darsley Park.
Therefore, it will be interesting to see how the pair cope whilst on international duty this month.
Neither are guaranteed starters in their sides, but impressive performances on the training pitch could convince their managers they deserve the opportunity to show they possess on football’s biggest stage.