Bruno Guimaraes is a player that Newcastle United supporters could only dream of prior to the PIF takeover in 2021 but the Brazil international has gone from strength to strength at St James' Park, quickly becoming a fan-favourite in the Gallowgate End.
The former Lyon midfielder joined the Magpies for £40m back in January 2022 and was key to the club's surge from being relegation candidates to contenders for the top four in the Premier League over the course of his eighteen-month spell in a black-and-white shirt.
Guimaraes is one of the first names on Eddie Howe's teamsheet before a game but the head coach will need to keep him fit and fresh, particularly for Newcastle's crucial upcoming bouts against Arsenal in the league and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Thankfully, there is one man back and raring to go ahead of tonight's EFL Cup clash away at Manchester United, having recovered from two long-term injuries which kept him out of the side for the guts of five months.
Joe Willock injury update
Like Bruno, Joe Willock has been a key player for Howe during his spell as Newcastle United boss, although the latter was already at the club when the ex-Bournemouth manager was appointed, having moved to the North East permanently in 2021 for £25m following an initial, successful loan spell.
Willock even matched the record for scoring in seven consecutive appearances with the Geordie outfit back when Steve Bruce was in charge, a feat he shares with Newcastle legend Alan Shearer. This led ESPN journalist Roberto Rojas to call the former Arsenal player a "special" talent.
The 24-year-old made 43 appearances for the Magpies last season, helping the side to finish fourth in the Premier League, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in two decades, while also reaching the final of the EFL Cup.
Unfortunately, at the business end of last term, Willock suffered a "serious" hamstring injury which forced him to miss pre-season and the start of the current campaign. Nevertheless, the midfielder returned to training back in September but was handed another setback in the form of an achilles problem, keeping him out of the first team for even longer.
However, Willock has now been eased back onto the pitch by Howe who handed the player 38 minutes of game-time in total over the last week during Newcastle's 1-0 defeat to Dortmund on Wednesday night and a 2-2 draw with Wolves on Saturday. The recent news of Sandro Tonali's ten-month betting ban means Willock could feature quite heavily for the team this term.
Perhaps tonight's bout versus Erik ten Hag's struggling Red Devils could be the perfect opportunity for the manager to hand Willock his first start in 167 days.
Willock's stats last season
Willock is a "box-to-box midfielder" who excels in the final third and is even more of a goal threat than Guimaraes due to his innate, attacking prowess in the final third. According to FBref, the Englishman registered 0.31 goals and assists per 90 last season for Newcastle United while Guimaraes boasts 0.21 per 90 in the current campaign. Furthermore, Willock achieved a combined expected goals and assists rate of 0.45 per 90, double Bruno's numbers.
The former Arsenal academy star averaged 3.99 touches into the opposition's penalty area per 90 in the previous campaign to Bruno's 1.56, as well as 19.7 touches in the final third per 90 while the Brazilian's tally for this season stands at 16.4 per 90.
The two players possess a similar pass completion rate too, with Willock completing 81.5% of his passes to Guimaraes' 86.4%, although the latter is far more suitable to making his side tick in possession, averaging 74.4 touches per 90 to Willock's 46.9 while attempting 29 more passes per 90 than his midfield counterpart.
There is no doubt that Bruno makes Newcastle far better at maintaining possession and building attacks, whereas Willock is more attack-minded. However, tonight's clash at Old Trafford will likely be more transitional which could suit the returning star's overall game and be a better fit for the Magpies, while also allowing Howe to give some much-needed rest to Guimaraes ahead of Saturday's fixture against Arsenal.
