JOELINTON is delighted to see his fellow Brazilian, Bruno Guimaraes, starring for Newcastle United – and is hoping the club’s South American contingent can continue to play a central role in the Magpies’ ongoing battle at the top end of the Premier League table.

Both Joelinton and Guimaraes were pivotal figures in Newcastle’s Boxing Day win at Leicester City, with the former scoring his side’s third goal towards the end of the first half and the latter providing the slide-rule pass that enabled Miguel Almiron to double the Magpies’ lead within the opening ten minutes at the King Power Stadium.

Guimaraes suffered a somewhat disappointing World Cup, with his appearances from the substitutes’ bench in Qatar attracting criticism from within his homeland as Brazil crashed out at the quarter-final stage.

Joelinton knows all about his compatriot’s qualities though, and is delighted he has picked up where he left off in a black-and-white shirt prior to the start of the World Cup break.

“Since he’s (Guimaraes) been here, he’s seen the support from the fans, and he gives it back on the pitch,” said Joelinton. “Every game, every training session, he gives everything, always 110 per cent every game, and I think that’s why they love him. He’s so important for the team, and I’m very happy for him as well.”

Joelinton is also delighted to see another South American, Almiron, faring so well this season, with the Paraguayan having proved a goalscoring revelation since he claimed a double in October’s 4-1 win at Fulham.

After finding the net at Leicester on Monday, Almiron has now claimed eight goals in his last nine Premier League outings, a remarkable sequence that shows no sign of stopping such is his current confidence and composure within the final third.

“He’s (Almiron) on fire, and I’m really happy for him,” said Joelinton. “We came back and have continued to score goals, and I hope he scores many more for us this season because he’s a great guy. He’s a great player, he works so hard, and like I said, I’m happy he scored (at Leicester) and long may it continue.”

Monday’s victory lifted Newcastle into second position in the table, and while they drop back down to third if Manchester City claim at least a point against Leeds United tonight, talk of pushing for a Champions League place is beginning to morph into a discussion about a possible tilt at the title. Joelinton is happy to be dreaming big, although like Howe and his team-mates, he does not want to start looking too far into the future.

“We know what we have to do,” he said. “Just continue this hard work, be humble, keep both feet on the ground and work hard every day in training."