Joelinton was once a failing forward, but now Newcastle United teammate Nick Pope believes he is a ‘midfield general’.
Pope has appeared on Ben Foster‘s podcast, and was asked to talk about Joelinton by the Wrexham goalkeeper, who is a massive fan of the Brazilian.
Unsurprisingly, the Newcastle goalkeeper is a fan too, and has lavished the 26-year-old with praise.
Nick Pope thinks Joelinton is a ‘midfield general’
Speaking on Fozcast – The Ben Foster Podcast, Pope was asked about Joelinton’s work rate by Foster.
“Through the roof,” Pope said.
“Obviously a player I wanted to play with. He’s got so much power, so much strength, ability on the ball. He’s kind of got a bit of everything. Proper midfield general. Forwards, backwards, gives everything for the team.
“You know when they say about having people in the trenches with you, Joelinton is like top of the list. If you were injured, he’d carry you on his back. No questions asked.”
Newcastle’s band of brothers
For Pope to call Joelinton a ‘midfield general’ is incredibly high praise. That is great praise for any midfielder, let alone someone who is only in his first full season playing that position.
The former Hoffenheim forward’s renaissance has been incredible, given how much he was struggling as an attacker under Steve Bruce.
But Eddie Howe has taken Joelinton to another level, and he actually looks like a £40million player now. He is someone who people want to play alongside, as Pope says.
When you think of Brazilians, you think of flicks and tricks. Joelinton is certainly skilful, but it is his battling qualities that Pope appears to admire most. It is what endeared him to the Toon Army last season, boasting an incredible ability to win back possession.
He sometimes crosses the line, which is why he has already got 11 bookings in the Premier League this season. If he gets four more he will have the record for most yellow cards in a campaign.
Pope talks about ‘being in the trenches’, and Newcastle have so many players who fit that briefing. We have a group of battlers, which is hard to believe following the Saudi-backed takeover in 2021. Hollywood names were linked, so many of which would have backfired horrendously.
But Howe has created a real spirit in the group, and Joelinton epitomises it.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
