Premier League rules hand Newcastle United 'massive' boost ahead of Brighton - Eddie Howe delighted
Newcastle United team news: Joelinton is back available for Newcastle against Brighton this Saturday.
Newcastle United will be boosted by the return of Joelinton following a two-match suspension for the Brazilian.
Joelinton was shown his 10th yellow card of the Premier League season in the 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last month following a challenge on Jean-Philippe Mateta.
He missed the defeats against AFC Bournemouth and Arsenal as a result. As per Premier League rules, any player who is booked 10 times in their club’s opening 32 matches is handed an automatic two-match ban.
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Unfortunately for Joelinton and Newcastle, the player would have avoided a ban altogether had he not been booked against Palace, as the 32-game threshold would have passed.
It’s the second such two-match ban Joelinton has had during his time at Newcastle, though he has never been sent off for the club in a competitive game.
Having missed the last two matches and with just four games left to play, Joelinton can no longer pick up 15 bookings that would have resulted in a three-match ban. But no player has received such a ban, with the Premier League record for most bookings in a season for a single player being 14.
NUFC handed ‘massive’ boost v Brighton
When asked about Joelinton’s return from suspension, Howe said: “Yeah, I mean, Joe is a massive part of what we do.
“He's got that will to win, that determination to fight for everything, every loose ball, every duel. He's there from the beginning of the game to the end.
“He's got that mentality that we need more of from more of the group. You see it from him every day in training. He's the one setting the standards in terms of that aspect.
“So, when he's not playing, we certainly miss something of his unique qualities and it'll be great to have him back available. He's a huge player for us in a number of positions, so we're delighted to have him back.”
Newcastle sit 14th in the Premier League table with four games left to play. They are eight points behind sixth-placed Brighton in a potential European place and eight points above Tottenham Hotspur in the final relegation spot.