West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta has told Bruno Guimaraes to ‘play hard, buddy’ on Instagram after his Newcastle United side thrashed Aston Villa 5-1 at St James’ Park on Saturday.
It was a formidable and ruthless start by Eddie Howe’s men for the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, as they thrashed and outdid an Aston Villa side expected to do big things under Unai Emery this season.
Newcastle were leading 2-1 during the break after an action-packed first half, which also saw Tyrone Mings suffer a horror injury, but during the second period, it was all one-way traffic.
Bruno Guimaraes was at the heart of the action, as he didn’t let Villa’s midfield or backline settle on the ball.
With some questioning if the Magpies can repeat their performances of last season, well, to all those doubters, this opening-day win, is a statement of real intent that they aren’t going anywhere.
After the game, Guimaraes took to Instagram to express his delight at the win, with the all-action midfielder being praised in the comments section of his post, including by Lucas Paqueta.
“First game and the first win!!” said Guimaraes. “Very happy to get a start on the right foot.”
Guimaraes an underrated figure
Joelinton has made unbelievable strides under Howe, and Sandro Tonali had a debut to remember, but the key man of Newcastle’s midfield is Guimaraes.
Some may argue that he is an underrated figure because, when talking of some of the best midfield players in the country, his name deserves a mention.
Under Newcastle’s Saudi ownership, they have brought in a number of top, top-quality players and Guimaraes might just be the best of the lot.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
