Kieran Trippier believes his Newcastle United teammate Joelinton has the potential to become a world-class midfielder.
The Brazilian has recently been playing in a deeper role for Eddie Howe, and done extremely well.
The star has had some tough times at St. James’ Park following his £40 million transfer to the club in 2019.
He struggled to perform under the weight of expectation as a striker bearing the number 9 shirt initially.
But this term, Joelinton has turned things around and since the arrival Howe, he has reached a new level at the club.
Since converting to a midfielder, no player in the Premier League has made more tackles than him (40).
He is constantly standing out in games for Newcastle, and is currently forming part of one of the most effective midfields in the Premier League.
Fans are loving this transformation, and Trippier had a very kind word to say about his new teammate during his appearance on the True Geordie podcast.
He said (10.40): “You can see with the way he’s performed, especially since I’ve arrived. He’s been unbelievable. He’s powerful, the way he breaks things up. He reminds me of Mousa Dembele, when I played with him at Tottenham. You can’t get the ball off him.
“He can go where he wants to. He has the ability to be a world-class player. I think the gaffer has got him in that position now where he’s like a number 8. He presses, he wins the ball back, he’s aggressive with or without the ball.”
Joelinton actually just won Newcastle’s Player of the Month award for February.
He was a little unlucky to miss out on the shortlist of players for the same Premier League award.
Barring someone else having a magical emergence at St. James’ Park, it’s pretty likely Joelinton will end the season as Newcastle’s Player of the Season.
Lovely comments from Trippier, Joelinton’s potential as a midfielder is hugely exciting
It is nice to hear Joelinton coming in for praise from Trippier, who is clearly already very impressed by the Brazilian.
He really has been tremendous for Newcastle this season and especially under the management of Howe.
The comparison to Dembele from Trippier is especially interesting.
The Belgian was an absolute force when he played for Spurs and is probably a player who went under the radar when he was active.
Joelinton is similar to him in physical sense. If he can improve the technical side of his game and get to a level somewhere near Dembele during his prime, then Newcastle will have a serious player on their hands.
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