Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has expressed his delight at Joelinton's transformation and believes both the record signing and Eddie Howe deserve credit for his revival. The former number nine struggled in his first two seasons at St James' Park, but has become one of the first names on the teamsheet under the current head coach.
Joelinton endured a nightmare debut campaign in black-and-white following his arrival from Hoffenheim in the summer of 2019, with the Brazilian scoring just four times in all competitions. The signing of Callum Wilson then meant the 25-year-old was unable to nail down a regular starting position.
Howe immediately identified Joelinton as an important player in his long-term rebuild, although the former Bournemouth boss admits he did not foresee the transformation into a deep-lying midfielder. Shearer regularly defended the record signing from 'unfair' criticism in the past, and believes his application through these testing times helped forge his bond with the Toon Army.
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Shearer told NUFC TV: "I always felt it was really difficult for him personally because I never felt he was a number nine. I felt it was unfair...the fee, giving him the number, and I also never felt he was a centre-forward. I never felt like he wanted to play there.
"He never shied away which is why I think he got the respect from the fans that he has got. He never shied away from anything, he never hid, he always wanted to make himself available on the pitch.
"I think that's why the fans appreciate what he is now. For him to go from where he was, to what he is now and play such a major part in what Newcastle are doing in the midfield role, he deserves a huge amount of credit. Not only him, but Eddie [too] for giving him that freedom and ability to go and do that.
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