Eddie Howe explains shock Newcastle United decision

Yet Guimaraes boarded the team's flight to London later that day, so what happened?

Guimaraes had left the pitch in tears last weekend after suffering an ankle injury in Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Fulham at St James’s Park. It didn’t look good for the midfielder, who, clearly, feared that he was facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines at what is an important time for the club, which has a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg next week.

Howe addressed the 25-year-old’s quicker-than-expected return after last night’s goalless draw against Crystal Palace.

“The scan was obviously good news, and I think that put Bruno in a better place when he got the news of that,” said United's head coach.

“He improved every day very quickly to get to the point on Friday morning where he wanted to train. The medical team were happy with that, and he trained and felt really good."

Guimaraes played the full 90 minutes at Selhurst Park, where third-placed Newcastle were frustrated by their hosts.

"I’m very proud to be here, because it was a difficult week for me,” Guimaraes told NUFC TV. “I already had some injury from playing with Brazil, and I was out for 21 days. When I got injured last game, I thought I would be out for weeks, so I thought it was very important for me to be back.

"To play 90 minutes, I take more confidence. I was afraid in the beginning, but after that, it was good.”