Bruno Guimaraes has revealed Eddie Howe helped him learn English when he first arrived on Tyneside. The Brazilian could not communicate with his new manager when he signed for Newcastle United nine months ago.
Joining from Lyon, the £35million man made it his key priority to learn English. Toon supporters have since been impressed by how quickly Guimaraes has grasped the language, with proficiency updates being posted on social media.
The 24-year-old conducted his first post-match interview in April after bagging a brace against Leicester City. Just three months after entering the country, Guimaraes’ dedication meant he could hold his own with a reporter.
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Now, in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine, he has spoken about what his manager did to help smoothen the transition to another country. Howe outlined the need for Guimaraes’ to improve his “football vocabulary” above all else.
The Brazilian said: “Eddie asked which position names I knew in English and I told him ‘striker, midfielder…’ He said, ‘No, stop. I’ll help you. Your football vocabulary is too short’. He and his coaches gave me paper with football words to study at home. I also sent it to my teacher, saying, ‘I need to learn all of this – you have to help me!’
“My English is so-so, but I’ve improved it a lot and can understand everything I’m asked to do on the pitch. We have several players here who speak Spanish, so sometimes I’ll end up hanging out with them because it’s quite similar to Portuguese, but my English is improving.
Guimaraes also recounted how a fan tried to help him, too - by giving him a Geordie dictionary! However, the midfielder admitted he is struggling - but trying - to grasp the local dialect.
"A supporter has even given me a paper with Geordie slang to learn,” Guimaraes added. “But it’s very complicated! The local accent is so hard to understand. I can talk to supporters but sometimes I don’t understand what they’re saying to me, especially on the streets. They’re so excited that they end up talking too fast, but that’s normal.”
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