Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe addresses social media storm after Bruno Guimaraes takes aim at fans

NEWCASTLE: Social media can be a blessing as well as a curse for the modern-day footballer.

While it gives the player instant access to fans and the ability to share the adulation of victory, certainly brushing the ego on the way, it also opens a direct window for criticism. One Newcastle United player in the firing line, of sorts, has been Bruno Guimaraes.

The Brazilian has long been held up as the face of PIF-owned Newcastle United. A dazzling midfielder with Premier League game-dictating ability, Guimaraes is a firm fan favorite on Tyneside. However, this week, following a slightly underwhelming performance in the defeat to Manchester City — he was not alone in that — Guimaraes found himself in the crosshairs.

A popular Magpies’ fan account called NUFC 360, which has more than 135,000 followers, posted a picture of the player, with teammates Dan Burn, Miguel Almiron and good friend Joelinton, with the caption “Is it too early in the season to start focusing blame onto individual players? Was there an overreaction to the loss to Man City?” Guimaraes did not take kindly to it.

The former Lyon man fired back via his own personal Twitter account.

His post, in a now-deleted tweet, read: “Is this serious? We are in Champions League football, we lost against maybe one of the best teams in the world and we have a big win and lost one game.

“Support in the best moment is easy. Short, stupid memories you all have. Look what we have done for the team in one year and a half.”

This prompted a swift apology to Guimaraes, who then deleted his riposte.

The fact the saga played out in front of millions on the social media platform proved no good look for either the fan-led account or Guimaraes, who will line up for the