Newcastle United fans are desperate to see Bruno Guimaraes get his first start for the club.
Eddie Howe has been patient with the January arrival so far, restricting him to substitute appearances.
Guimaraes has came off the bench in our last four games, a run that has saw Newcastle pick up 10 points.
He had his biggest impact last week, replacing Jacob Murphy with more than 20 minutes still to play against Brentford.
Newcastle were in complete control against the Bees’ 10 men, allowing Howe to give Guimaraes the chance he’s been craving. It’s a chance he certainly took, thriving alongside Jonjo Shelvey and doing his best to get on the ball at every opportunity.
A tactical tweak allowed Guimaraes to replace Murphy and play in centre-midfield – and the same tweak could possibly hand him his first Newcastle start against Brighton.
Joelinton change could give Bruno Guimaraes his first start
When Bruno came on in the 64th minute for Murphy, Howe shuffled his pack. Murphy had been playing on the right wing, but there was no chance the Brazil international was going to operate out wide.
Instead, Joelinton’s position changed. The £40million man proved his versatility by coming out wide, allowing Bruno to play centrally.
Joe Willock’s role also appeared to change slightly, moving higher up the pitch and closer to Chris Wood.
It was a tactical switch that suited Newcastle, and allowed Bruno and Shelvey to dictate the game.
Murphy has been in the team in recent weeks because of Allan Saint-Maximin’s injury, and the Frenchman remains a doubt for the game against Brighton.
So perhaps ASM’s absence could give Bruno the chance to get his first start.
Murphy has done alright in the past two games, but he’s been far from sensational. And while Joelinton has been great in centre-midfield, he is a player who can be used in multiple positions.
We looked really exciting when Guimaraes came on last week, and that might give Howe food for thought against Brighton.
Guimaraes is clearly the future of Newcastle’s midfield, and we got a taste of that last week.
Of course, Howe might be unwilling to move the in-form Joelinton, which might scupper Bruno’s hopes of making his first Premier League start against Brighton.
But with Saint-Maximin possibly out and Murphy not really shining, Howe does have the option of making a change to accommodate the £42million man.
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