Bruno Guimaraes’ spiky response when asked about Newcastle United injury issue before Everton

Guimaraes played a key role in Newcastle’s emphatic 6-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. The 25-year-old played 70 minutes of the match before being replaced by Anthony Gordon.

The Brazilian has been suffering with his right ankle after initially twisting it in a 1-0 win over Fulham back in January. Although he made a quick recovery, he has since taken a few knocks to the same ankle.

Earlier this month at Brentford, Guimaraes hurt his ankle again in the pre-match warm-up but still managed to play the full match.

And after the Spurs game, the midfielder wanted to play down any concerns as he said: “I don't want to speak about my ankle, it's nothing and I will be ready for the next game.”

Guimaraes’ comments echoed that of head coach Eddie Howe, who said: “Bruno’s ankle is fine. He’s training well, normally. He’s not missing training, he’s not covering a problem, and there are no issues with his fitness.”

But speaking after the Brentford game just a few weeks ago, Guimaraes seemed particularly frustrated with his ankle.

“I don't know if I can say it but it is p****** me off with my ankle,” he told The Gazette. "I need to get some rest and see at the end of the season what we can do but I am not happy with my ankle.”

Switching his attention back to football, Guimaraes is aiming to help Newcastle achieve Champions League qualification in his first full season at the club. Sunday’s win sees The Magpies sitting third in the Premier League table with seven games to go and six points clear of Spurs in fifth with a game in hand.

But the midfielder doesn’t want to look too far ahead with full focus on Thursday’s match at Goodison Park.

“We can do it but still seven games to go,” Guimaraes said when asked about the Champions League. “Let's keep working, I don't want to speak about the future, I think game by game. We've started this way, let's finish this way.”