Lascelles shares what he told Joelinton on the pitch after Newcastle beat Norwich

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Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles had some strong words of encouragement for Joelinton following their 3-0 win away at Norwich City over a week ago. The Brazilian bagged a brace – his first ever in the Premier League.

“I said to him after the game, as we were going to clap the fans, how tough of an individual he is,” Lascelles stated in the programme notes versus Liverpool.

“After coming here, wearing the number nine shirt, probably playing out of position and receiving some of the criticism he received, to completely transform the way he’s playing – to the point where he’s such a key player for us now – just goes to show how tough he is. He kept working and he kept grinding.”

Against both the Canaries and Liverpool, Joelinton found himself playing more down the middle or out wide. Since December he’s mostly been playing as a central midfielder.

Joelinton has made the case to be Newcastle’s player of the year

The turnaround of the man who cost Newcastle United £40million (BBC Sport) has been incredible. Especially since he’s played in a completely new position.

A number of players have improved this season or added quality since joining in January. So there are a number of players that could be Newcastle player of the year.

Dan Burn has become a starter since his arrival, keeping out Jamaal Lascelles. Bruno Guimaraes was slowly integrated into the side but now looks like the real deal. He’s netted four times this season already.

But Joelinton surely deserves to be Newcastle player of the year. His consistency and levels he’s improved trump anyone else in Eddie Howe’s side.

Even Rio Ferdinand had no doubt in his mind when selecting the Brazilian for most improved this season.

The demands of the role in midfield suit him perfectly. He can tackle, dribble and distribute the ball. Last month he was the only midfielder to win 100+ duels since his switch to midfield.

So it makes you think how effective could he have been if he’d played there from the start of this season. Credit to Howe for identifying this and giving Joelinton’s Newcastle career a much longer shelf life.

He’s gone from transfer flop to fan favourite in midfield. He’s got his own chant and even fans putting his face on Hawaiian shirts. This season has been the season of Joelinton.