Newcastle United haven't had too much to shout about of late and a bemusing injury update has now emerged, following a new claim regarding the fitness of Joelinton.
How old is Joelinton?
The Magpies have gone from firing on all cylinders to being under the spotlight for some poor form, showing how quickly fortunes can change in football. When they thrashed Aston Villa 5-1 at St James' Park on the opening weekend, Eddie Howe's side couldn't do a thing wrong, but that has changed drastically in recent weeks.
Newcastle have lost their last three Premier League games in a row, admittedly against strong opponents in Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton, and their hopes of securing back-to-back top-four finishes have suffered an early blow.
Howe's men certainly haven't been helped by injuries to some key players so far this season, with Sven Botman missing the 3-1 defeat away to the Seagulls on Saturday evening, along with Joe Willock.
Meanwhile, Joelinton, who is now in his prime at 27 years of age, has been playing, but there have been serious question marks over whether he is 100% fit, not quite enjoying the influence he did last season.
The Brazilian could arguably do with a breather during the current international break, but a new update suggests that won't be the case.
What's happening with Joelinton in Brazil?
According to Geordie Boot Boys, Joelinton is expected to play for Brazil over the next couple of weeks, despite the fact he's been sitting out of training in the build-up to Newcastle matches:
"The Brazilian picked up an injury during the defeat to Manchester City, and has not looked right ever since. He was a doubt for Saturday’s trip to Brighton, but was passed fit to start.
"However, it was clearly a mistake to pick him in the starting XI, as he had little to no impact at the Amex Stadium. The 27-year-old, who has been described as a ‘machine‘ in the past, is clearly not fully fit and it is massively hindering his performances.
"It is therefore strange that Howe has continued to select him, despite having both Sean Longstaff and Elliot Anderson on the bench. Howe will be considering changes to his midfield against Brentford, and it will be interesting to see if he persists with Joelinton amid his injury concerns. He is now set to play for Brazil during the international break, which probably won’t do his quest for full fitness any favours."
This is a very strange decision by Newcastle to allow Joelinton to head off on international duty, with a break from on-pitch action badly needed. Granted, Joelinton may be desperate to represent his country, but he risks making his current injury worse by over-playing, and it could have a negative impact on the Magpies' season if he worsens his issues when Brazil play Bolivia in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Howe will surely not be happy at all about this, but should arguably have made the decision himself to pull Joelinton out of both his own and the Brazil squad, so fans will now be waiting with bated breath in the hope that he comes through the next week or so unscathed.
The midfielder has become such a key man for Newcastle, bring power and work ethic in the middle of the park – Ally McCoist recently described him as "amazing" – so losing him for a lengthy period doesn't bear thinking about.