How Eddie Howe is copying Guardiola and Klopp in waiting to hand Bruno Guimaraes first-team exposure

Newcastle United’s recent upturn in form is made even more impressive by the fact that marquee January signing Bruno Guimaraes has not made his first start for the club yet.

The 24-year-old has been brought on for very late cameo appearances in the two Premier League matches since his arrival from Lyon but is yet to be trusted from the start.

His new team mates have won both of those games, against Everton and Aston Villa, with the current midfield trio particularly impressing.

Jonjo Shelvey, Joe Willock and Joelinton have all made it impossible for Eddie Howe to drop them and they are likely to be trusted again for the trip to West Ham on Saturday.

Ahead of the match, the Newcastle boss responded to a question about Guimaraes’ involvement by saying: “"Bruno will start a lot of games for us and will be a huge player.

"I don't think this period where he's watching and learning from the Premier League is a bad thing for him although it will frustrate him because he wants to show his talent."

“[The midfield] is a really strong area, probably our strongest in terms of personnel. Every player would have an argument to say I deserve to start so long may that continue."

While the three-game winning streak has more than justified Howe’s decision to keep Guimaraes on the bench, it would likely have been the Magpies boss’ strategy regardless.

It would be very complex for a player of his profile to immediately adapt to the intensity of a Premier League relegation battle given the difference of Lyon’s situation in Ligue 1, a division notoriously slower in tempo.

The 24-year-old has shown in his extremely brief cameos that he has the quality to excel in English football but watching from up close, as mentioned in the press