Some Newcastle United fans have been reacting on social media after Steve Bruce claimed Joelinton had his best game for the Toon against Leeds last week, via the Magpies’ Twitter.
Bruce started Joelinton at left-wing as he welcomed Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites to St James’ Park. Both sides sought to claim a first win of the Premier League season, but had to settle for a point. With Allan Saint-Maximin lifting the spirits on a fractious night on Tyneside.
Fans let their feelings be heard with chants of ‘we want Brucey out’ as Leeds threatened to take control. The visitors had chances to double their lead after Raphinha’s 13th-minute opener. But Joelinton found Saint-Maximin, who placed the ball into the bottom corner.
Saint-Maximin raced through to meet Joelinton’s pass and fire Newcastle level through a crowded Leeds penalty area to delight Bruce. Joelinton already forced Illan Meslier to make a point-blank save to keep the Whites ahead. Arguably, a chance he should have scored.
Fans applauded Joelinton off when replaced by Jacob Murphy in the 91st-minute after a battling display from the Brazilian. He held the ball up well and got himself into promising positions, just lacking the end shot.
Joelinton thrills vs Leeds
Joelinton thrilled Bruce with his performance against Leeds last Friday, with the Newcastle boss believing it was his best in black-and-white to date. The 25-year-old has played 86 games for the Magpies since a club-record £40m transfer from TSG Hoffenheim in 2019.
The forward is yet to score in any competition this season and has just 10 goals to his name altogether. An area Bruce remains keen for the £86k-a-week attacker to improve so the Toon are not overly reliant on Saint-Maximin, who has now played five full games in a row.
“I think it was his fifth 90-minutes and he didn’t do that through all of last season,” Bruce said. “You can see he’s playing at the top of his game. But we need to find a threat from other positions, too. Joelinton arguably had his best game for the club last week.”
Newcastle fans react to Bruce verdict on Joelinton
But while Joelinton thrilled Bruce last week, not all Newcastle United fans reacting on social media shared his bold claim. That’s because some noted that their club-record signing still does not offer the needed end product.
Joelinton has pleased others, however, with some noting their confidence in his improving performances.
So, here are some of the messages shared…
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