Bruno Guimaraes praises Newcastle United ‘leader’ after contract extension triggered

Many Newcastle players were heavily praised as they exceeded expectations and helped the club finish four and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in over 20 years.

But there were several players who flew under the radar slightly but were still deserving of praise due to their impact either on the pitch or behind the scenes.

And when naming their 2022-23 ‘unsung heroes’ a few Newcastle players named an individual who played just 35 minutes of Premier Leaguefootball last season.

“Matt Ritchie, we missed him in training [when he was injured at the end of the season],” Newcastle defender Dan Burn told the club website. “Just with how vocal he is and how he drives training with his standards.

“He’s probably not got as many games as he would have liked but every time he comes in he sets an example to not only the young lads but to the more experienced lads like me.”

£45million January signing Anthony Gordon reiterated Burn’s point by adding: “It would be Matt Ritchie 100% just for what he brings off the pitch and even when you’re on it he’s shouting giving you advice on the training pitch, in games, you can hear him when you’re playing in games over the crowd which is crazy.

“He’s helped me a lot as well since I’ve come here so I’d definitely go Matt Ritchie.”

Ritchie joined Newcastle at the start of the 2016-17 Championship season and has since gone on to make just shy of 200 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 24 goals. But since the club’s takeover in October 2021, Ritchie’s first-team involvement has been limited.

The 33-year-old started just two matches last season, both in the early rounds of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. His last Premier League start was a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in December 2021.

Despite the lack of game-time, Ritchie’s influence on the squad is not lost on his team-mates with Bruno Guimaraes also naming the left-sided player as his ‘unsung hero’ .

“The player I’d say is Matt Ritchie,” Guimaraes added. “He’s very important for us, a leader, he’s always speaking in the changing room and he’s important.

“[For] the staff I would say the analysts for the team, they were important for us as well to study the opponents so these guys deserve credit as well.”

Ritchie’s contract was set to expire this month but the club opted to trigger a one-year contract extension with head coach Eddie Howe previously admitting he’d ‘love’ to see the former Bournemouth man stay.

“I’ve said many times he’s very important behind the scenes,” Howe said last month. “He’s a really good role model for younger players to look at in terms of how to conduct yourself, how to act. He’s used his leadership really effectively for us this year.

“I would love him to continue his journey with Newcastle next year.”