Brazilian Joelinton, considered one of the centerpieces of Newcastle United’s rebirth, is forced to skip the club’s Champions League debut.
The former striker, transformed into a midfielder under the leadership of coach Eddie Howe at the end of 2021, was recently called up to the Brazilian National Team, a sign of his meteoric progress. However, the player did not even appear on the bench during the Magpies’ opening match against AC Milan on Tuesday September 19.
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A bruised knee
The reason for Joelinton’s absence is a knee injury that occurred during the international period, while he was defending the colors of the Seleção.
According to Eddie Howe, the Brazilian midfielder is expected to miss several weeks of competition due to this injury, without a precise return time being able to be established by the club’s medical staff.
The Newcastle boss told a press conference: “Joelinton suffered a relapse of his knee injury while playing for Brazil. It looks like he will be unavailable for a few weeks.”
In the absence of Joelinton, Newcastle had to resolve to line up the Englishman Sean Longstaff in his place, alongside Bruno Guimarães and Sandro Tonali, during the confrontation against Milan which resulted in a goalless draw (0- 0) at the San Siro.
Race against time for PSG
Aged 27, Joelinton had the opportunity to make two appearances as a substitute for the Brazilian team during the international break this month. However, he was already absent from the team during Newcastle’s last victory, 1-0 against Brentford in the Premier League last weekend, due to this very knee injury.
The player will now have to redouble his efforts to be fit for the next shock of the second day of the Champions League, where Newcastle will face Paris Saint-Germain, scheduled for October 4.
