‘Frustrated’ Bruno Guimaraes facing extended spell out of Newcastle United’s starting XI

Bruno Guimaraes has had to sit tight at Newcastle United despite the hype surrounding his January move from Lyon.

It isn’t wrong to say the Magpies shocked several clubs around Europe when they abruptly jumped ahead of the queue to sign the highly-rated Brazilian.

This was a midfielder that was leading the way in France, putting himself on the radar of reputable teams such as Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.

In a winter transfer window where United acquired five players - including England star Kieran Trippier, Guimaraes was mentioned by many fans as THE marquee signing.

So, although the 24-year-old is less than a month into his hopefully long and successful Newcastle career, this is far from the start he had in mind.

‘Frustrated’ Bruno G

His three games so far have all been very short substitute appearances, the longest being the seven minutes he spent on the pitch at West Ham United on Saturday.

Even Eddie Howe admitted 24 hours prior that Guimaraes is likely to be frustrated, which is no real surprise given his eagerness on the touchline.

The frequent glances over to Howe’s technical area from Guimaraes when he is warming up have not gone unnoticed.

That isn’t a criticism of the player’s attitude - far from it. Indeed, he has been very supportive of his teammates and has been blown away by the welcome he’s received on Tyneside.

It’s no wonder that Guimaraes is desperate to impress and United fans to are equally desperate to see him.

And if it wasn’t for the outstanding form of Joelinton, Joe Willock and Jonjo Shelvey, that first start will have arrived by now no doubt.

The midfield three is currently undroppable

But in truth, it feels somewhat impossible to drop any of the current midfield three and that means there is no way of fitting Guimaraes into the starting XI at this very moment.

The turnaround from fellow countryman Joelinton is nothing short of remarkable.

Originally signed as a £40million striker, Joelinton is looking every bit of a £40m central midfielder with his regular game stats outdoing some of the best in the division.

Jonjo Shelvey, once a divisive figure in the eyes of the supporters, has repaid Howe’s faith that led him to publicly call the former Liverpool man an “unbelievable technician” during his first week in the job.

Upon Guimaraes’ arrival, Willock was perhaps understandably viewed as the player most likely to make way for the Brazilian.

Willock had seriously underperformed after United paid £20million to Arsenal to keep the 22-year-old on Tyneside following his incredible loan spell last season.

But it seems Guimaraes’s arrival has coincided with Willock looking like the Willock of the old as he deservedly netted his first goal of the season at the weekend.

Eddie Howe on Joelinton, Shelvey and Willock

Asked by NewcastleWorld about the trio’s display at the London Stadium, Howe was quite rightly again full of praise.

United’s head coach said. “The three midfielders were outstanding. They needed to be because we know the strength of West Ham’s team.

“Joelinton did a really, really good job physically with (Tomas) Soucek. That battle was interesting.

“Joe Willock on Declan Rice, I thought again was a really good battle between the two. I thought Joe really used his athleticism. I was really pleased to see him score.

“He’s improved every week since I’ve been here, and that was probably his best performance.

“Jonjo (Shelvey) behind has very consistent as well, so I’m really pleased with the three of those players.”

Will Bruno get start against Brentford?

Howe admitted during his first press conference after the transfer window had closed that he believes it is “dangerous” to drop players in form.

Club captain Jamaal Lascelles is faced with a similar situation now after Dan Burn grasped his opportunity in defence alongside Fabian Schar.

There will come a time when Newcastle must introduce Guimaraes in their starting XI but that doesn’t feel as appropriate or as pressing yet.

With all that in mind, it’s hard to envisage Guimaraes lining up at the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday.

It’s important Guimaraes is using this period to learn about the Premier League and be ready to shine when the inevitable call does arrive.