Bruno Guimaraes wanted to stay with Brazil for the second of their international break clashes this week but Newcastle asked for him to return to Tyneside, according to national team manager Tite. Guimaraes picked up a thigh injury in training last week and is now back in the north east as he aims to recover for Saturday's trip to Fulham.
Guimaraes missed Brazil's 3-0 win over Ghana on Friday but hoped to be fit enough to face Tunisia on Tuesday evening. However, Newcastle were taking no chances with their star midfielder and asked Brazil to grant him an early return to England.
“Bruno Guimaraes was with us, he wanted to recover and play again, but the club asked him to return,” Tite said. “He came to tell us that he was in a dilemma of staying, and he even came to tell us that he’d like us to decide.
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“I looked at him and said: 'No, this assignment is yours, as maturity and growth, what brings you to the national team is high performance with health, this will bring you to the national team.' So the faster he’s back at the club, the more chance he’ll be here [for the World Cup].”
Guimaraes spent the weekend at Disneyland Paris with his Brazil team-mates as the group enjoyed some down time in the French capital in between their two fixtures in the country. However, by Monday afternoon the 24-year-old was back at Newcastle's Benton training base working in the gym.
Newcastle are hopeful Guimaraes will be able to play a part in Saturday's visit to the capital after a terrible spell of injuries in recent weeks. Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson are both pushing for a return in the coming days but £58m summer signing Alexander Isak will miss the Fulham game after picking up an injury of his own while away with Sweden.
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