‘Aggressive’ 26-year-old now has to start for Newcastle against Aston Villa

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Sunday was a glorious day at St James’ Park, as Newcastle United blitzed Villarreal to get their hands on the Sela Cup.

There were ironic celebrations from Jacob Murphy, while Toon fans hailed the impact of Harvey Barnes, who scored two goals on his home debut for the club.

There were some outstanding performers for Newcastle, who ended pre-season in style. Now Eddie Howe must decide who starts the Premier League opener against Aston Villa on Saturday.

He has some big decisions to make, but one man guaranteed his place in the starting XI with the way he played against Villarreal.

Joelinton was incredible during Newcastle’s win over Villarreal

Until Sunday, it had not been a pre-season to write home about for Joelinton. While he had not played poorly, he had not set the world alight during his limited minutes.

The Brazilian did not have much of an impact in America during the Premier League Summer Series, while Elliot Anderson excelled in Joelinton’s favoured position – the left of the midfield three.

That meant that Joelinton was not necessarily a guaranteed starter for the season opener against Aston Villa. However, that has changed now.

The 26-year-old was outstanding against Villarreal, producing a man of the match display that proves why he has to start on Saturday.

He was absolutely immense in the Magpies’ second game of the Sela Cup, performing as if it was for genuine silverware rather than a pre-season trophy.

Big Joe played with obscene intensity, dominating the midfield and winning his duels like he will be expected to do in the Champions League later this year.

We also saw composure in the final third from the ‘aggressive‘ midfielder, calmly picking out Barnes in the box and setting him up for his first goal of the game.

He could even have laid on another for him, but Joelinton showed a ruthless streak to score a goal of his own after striding with the ball from the halfway line. It was a composed finish, which is not something we have often said about the £40million man.

While it was only a friendly, it was a statement performance from Joelinton. It had been a quiet pre-season for him, but this was a very loud reminder of why he is a key player at St James’ Park, and someone who simply has to start against Aston Villa on Saturday.