Joelinton admits he questioned his decision to sign for Newcastle United in a club-record deal during his 'difficult' start to life in black-and-white. The former number nine endured a tough start on Tyneside following his move from Hoffenheim in the summer of 2019.
Joelinton scored just twice in the Premier League during his debut campaign, and struggled to nail down a consistent starting role following the arrival of Callum Wilson the following summer. The 25-year-old became the punchline to social media jokes, but has since been reborn as a box-to-box midfielder under Eddie Howe.
The Toon boss immediately identified Joelinton as a key player in both Newcastle's fight to avoid relegation, as well as the club's long-term rebuild. The former striker has become a mainstay in Howe's starting eleven, with speculation suggesting he could soon join team-mate Bruno Guimaraes on the international stage with Brazil.
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Joelinton gave an in-depth interview to the club's matchday programme ahead of Wednesday's victory against Crystal Palace, and described how he would refuse to talk about his difficulties in his tough start to life with United. However, the number seven also admits he is now enjoying his newfound status as a fan favourite.
He told the club's website: "I spoke to my parents, my wife, my friends around me. But a lot of the time I'd keep these things to myself.
"Everyone around me, day-to-day, could see the difficulty with things not going so well. I also avoided talking about it at times.
"Sometimes you'd want to talk about it, sometimes you'd want to keep it to yourself. It was important to get home, switch off, spend time with my children and family and put football matters to one side. If you allow (yourself) to think about this all the time, it can really get to your head.
"But of course I was thinking about it. I was thinking to myself, 'this is difficult, have I made the right decision for my career? Would I have been better off remaining in Germany?'
"Loads of things go through your head. But I always had a level-headed, grounded approach. I always worked very hard, did my best.
"Everyone around me was there to help and support me. I'm really happy for this great moment I'm living in and playing in at the moment."
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