Bruno Guimaraes is set to return to the Newcastle United starting line-up for Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace, with sources telling BBC Sport the Brazilian has been “working hard every single day” during his recovery from the hamstring injury that has kept him out since February.
Eddie Howe confirmed the timeline before the international break.
“He has been working incredibly hard on his recovery,” the manager said. “I’d like to think by the time the international break has ended he will be back ready for us.”
A Newcastle training video of Guimaraes back out on the grass this week has further reinforced the belief that his return is imminent, arriving at the start of a seven-game run that will define the Magpies’ season.
What Newcastle have lost without Bruno Guimaraes
The timing of the injury was brutal. Since Guimaraes went down in February, Newcastle have been eliminated from both the FA Cup and the Champions League. That is not a coincidence. He is the player who sets the tempo, wins the ball and drives the team forward when the game demands it, and no one in Howe’s squad replicates that combination of intensity and quality.
Jacob Ramsey has filled in creditably but has not been able to reproduce the same influence on matches.
His statistics this season underline just how central he has become. Nine Premier League goals from midfield, along with four assists, 38 chances created, 108 ball recoveries and 126 duels won across 23 appearances, numbers that reflect a player who dominates games rather than merely participates in them.
Since Alexander Isak’s departure, Guimaraes has also taken on a greater goalscoring burden from the middle of the park, and his nine league goals make him the club’s top scorer in the division this season. That is an extraordinary contribution from a central midfielder.
Can Newcastle keep him this summer?
His return matters beyond the final seven games.
Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness was in conversation with Football Insider last month insisting that Guimaraes is expected to leave Newcastle this summer if the club fails to qualify for Champions League football, with financial pressures at St James’ Park making player sales likely regardless.
Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali are all mentioned as potential departures, but the understanding within the club is that Howe would sooner lose all three than his captain and talisman.
That creates a clear equation heading into the final weeks of the season. If Newcastle finish in the top five and secure Champions League football, the case for keeping Guimaraes strengthens enormously. If they miss out, the pressure to sell one of European football’s most coveted midfielders becomes very difficult to resist.
His comeback against Crystal Palace on Sunday is not just about three points. It is about what the next chapter of this club looks like.
