Bruno Guimaraes received the full Monday Night Football treatment following his weekend heroics against Brentford. Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane analysed the Brazilian’s mesmerising form since ditching Lyon for Newcastle United in January.
St James’ Park witnessed arguably Guimaraes’ finest hour yet on Saturday as his two goals helped condemn Brentford to a 5-1 battering. His second, a stunning 25-yard strike after running the length of the half, has triggered a debate about how good the 24-year-old can become.
Some Toon supporters are already hailing Guimaraes as the best midfielder they have ever seen in a black-and-white shirt. Goalscoring was not the South American’s forte at previous clubs but his development under Eddie Howe has added exactly that to his game.
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Before Aston Villa’s trip to Nottingham Forest, Carragher and Keane compared the Magpies’ maestro to his Premier League rivals. The former, in particular, was impressed by Guimaraes’ impact in such a short timeframe - hailing him as a “complete” midfielder.
“What we tend to do with midfield players is put them in positions in terms of numbers,” Carragher said. “So we call someone a six or an eight or 10. He feels to me like the type of player who could play all of those roles.
“What stood out for me is how he's a throwback to when we were playing in the mid-90s. He’s a ‘midfield’ player. Not a sitter, not an attacking midfielder... he’s a ‘midfield’ player. So let’s look at the numbers.
“Straight away, you look at the defensive side of it. He’s making more tackles per 90 minutes than anybody else and he's winning possession more than basically everybody except Declan Rice.
“He’s playing for Newcastle, so they’re probably going to do more defending, but they’re still big numbers and a jump on what the others are doing. You then look at going forward, in terms of his carries, chances created and through balls.
“Now, again, Newcastle probably would have less of the ball than the top teams - but this smacks again of him being a complete midfield player. They're (his stats) not just higher, they’re much higher.
“This is not a criticism of them (other midfielders), I think they have a different role. When he is, for me, just a ‘midfield’ player. And this is why this player is getting such excitement on Tyneside.”
Former Sunderland manager Keane also found it difficult to pick any holes in his game. As someone who knows all about playing in midfield, the Manchester United legend praised Guimaraes’ “football intelligence” but demanded longevity throughout the season.
“Obviously, he’s playing with a lot of confidence,” Keane added. “They've had a good couple of weeks, Newcastle, a couple of big wins and lots of goals.
“The stats back it up but it’s still early in the season. We want to see him over the next few months. He seems like a good character - the fans have taken to him. He's added a few goals to his game, but he just looks like he knows what the game is about… football intelligence.”
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