Alan Shearer believes Bruno Guimaraes can be a key figure for Newcastle United on their quest for success. Since the £300million Saudi-backed takeover was completed in October, the prospect of Newcastle becoming the ‘next Man City’ has fan excitement at fever pitch.
Amanda Staveley declared on arrival that the ambition is to win the league in five to 10 years - a feat the Magpies have not achieved since 1927. The brutal reality is there will likely be few survivors from the current first-team squad if Newcastle were to compete for honours in half a decade. Kieran Trippier has undoubted talent but, at 31-years-old, there is a chance he may have hung up his boots by then.
Allan Saint-Maximin has the potential to be a superstar but it remains to be seen whether he can perform consistently and force his way into that ‘elite’ bracket. January arrival Bruno Guimaraes, however, is already ticking all the right boxes.
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The £40million midfielder was eased into life on Tyneside by Eddie Howe but fans are now seeing the true extent of his quality. A world-class finish to secure three points against Southampton introduced the Brazilian to the Premier League and he has followed that up with further classy performances.
A man-of-the-match outing against Wolves in his first start at St James’ Park is his finest hour to date and helped drag Newcastle 10 points clear of the drop zone. Club legend Shearer has backed Guimaraes to still be at Newcastle when the club are challenging for trophies.
“I have been really impressed with him,” he told NUFC TV. “I think he can play a leading role in where Newcastle go over the next few years.
“He couldn't get in the team to begin with because of the form that other players were in but he’ll be a regular for years to come if he wants to stay here and play a part, which I’m sure he does. I like everything I see about him, I like his aggression, I like his passing ability. And he seems to enjoy this environment.”
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