Tony Cascarino says Joelinton could get into Manchester City’s team

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Tony Cascarino believes Newcastle have a player in Joelinton who could break into Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City starting eleven.

Bruno Guimaraes could improve every other team in the Premier League instantly, and he could probably fit into Pep Guardiola‘s side, too.

Speaking this morning on TalkSPORT (30/4 7:50am), Tony Cascarino has back the other £40million Brazilian in Newcastle‘s squad to break into Pep’s side. Joelinton.

Newcastle’s Joelinton can get into Manchester City’s team according to Tony Cascarino

The panel were discussing the strength of the squad at Manchester City and discussing other Premier League players who could maybe fit in that team when Cascarino said: “The more I think about it, I would even consider Joelinton. I think he’s had an amazing season.”

Now, granted that’s just one-man’s opinion, but if that’s not the highest of praise – being talked about as someone who can get into Pep’s Manchester City eleven – I don’t know what is.

City are currently in second place in the league but could go top today with a win over Fulham. It’s widely believed that, despite Arsenal leading the race for most of the season, the title will go back to Manchester.

So for Joelinton to be touted as a player worthy of that side epitomises the turnaround that he’s had under Eddie Howe.

Joelinton is now one of the key figures at Newcastle

Arriving from Hoffenheim for £40million and played as a striker, Joelinton couldn’t hit a barn door. He was the laughing stock of the Premier League, even our own fans were laughing at him. The Toon Army were even questioning if he knew how to play football at all.

Enter Eddie Howe and on one fateful day Ciaran Clark gets a red card after just eight minutes against Norwich. Needing to move things around, Howe dragged back Joelinton into the midfield and a legend was born.

Suddenly our flop of a striker became the best box-to-box midfielder in the league outside of the ‘big six’. Now this season he’s continued to improve and he’s got to be in with a shout for the best midfielder in the Premier League.

It’s amazing what a bit of actual coaching, some belief and playing someone in a position they’re comfortable with can do.

Anyone who had looked up Joelinton before his move to Newcastle knew that he wasn’t a striker. A wide-playing forward, yes, but a striker? Not at all. He played out on the left for Hoffenheim, not through the middle.

When you look at the goals Joelinton has scored for Newcastle lately, they’ve pretty much all come from him playing on the left side of the attack.

Joelinton is proof of my friend’s saying: “There’s no such thing as bad players, only bad coaches.” There’s a lot of room for error in that statement, many exceptions to the rule, but in the case of Joelinton it rings so true.