Newcastle United have been without Joelinton since the 4-1 defeat to Aston Villa on April 19.
If social media is anything to go by then it appears some Newcastle United fans haven’t given up hope of Joelinton returning this Sunday.
Newcastle host Everton on the final day of the 2024-25 Premier League season knowing a win will guarantee Champions League qualification.
The Magpies missed the opportunity to secure a top-five finish after losing 1-0 to Arsenal last weekend but head coach Eddie Howe has called for cool heads with United still in control of their own destiny.
“I think calmness in this moment in time,” Howe said after the Arsenal loss. “It’s a week before we play. We’ve got to be very calm, make good decisions, train well, prepare well for the game. Nothing changes. The emotion will be there in the game. I don’t think we have to ramp it up for the players.”
Eddie Howe’s latest Joelinton injury update
Dan Burn has labelled the game a cup final and just like Joelinton, he’s good at those! Although Burn stole the headlines for his opener in the 2-1 Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool in March, Joelinton was widely recognised as Newcastle’s best performer on the day.
And that was despite the Brazilian nursing a knee problem, however the pain became too difficult to manage last month and after seeking specialist advice has sat out the last four matches.
Ad
Howe hasn’t totally ruled out Joelinton playing before the end of the campaign but admitted before the Arsenal game that the “biggest possibility” was that he wouldn’t.
“He’s working away behind the scenes,” said Howe. “He’s typical Joe, he’s absolutely foot to the floor to try and get back fit because that’s his nature. He wants to be involved, but he’s not close yet. He’s still working his way back. I think the biggest possibility is that we don’t see him again this season, then we get him ready for next year.”
Joelinton videoed back in Brazil
If Howe’s comments didn’t cast enough doubt over Joelinton’s availability, then perhaps his wife Thays Gondim will, as it appears the pair are currently back in Brazil.
On Tuesday afternoon, Gondim uploaded to her Instagram story and tagged her location as Porto Alegre, which is the capital city of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil. Her next post is a video of Joelinton, who is wearing a knee brace.
With the Everton game still four days away, there is, of course, still time for Joelinton to return to the United Kingdom ahead of a potential appearance. However, it seems unlikely the midfielder would take a 28-hour round midweek trip if that were the plan, don’t you think?
