Roy Keane hailed Bruno Guimaraes’ “football intelligence” when reviewing the Newcastle United star’s recent performances.
What’s the latest Newcastle United news?
Following his brace against Brentford on Saturday, Guimaraes was the subject of a lengthy discussion on Monday Night Football as Keane and Jamie Carragher poured over his impressive stats.
The Newcastle star got the full treatment in the Sky studio, with Carragher explaining in detail the statistics behind the 24-year-old’s excellent start to life on Tyneside.
Hailed as a £40m bargain by Eddie Howe in the wake of Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Brentford, the praise continued to pour in for a player who has adapted to the rigours of Premier League football with aplomb since his January move from Lyon.
What did Keane say about Guimaraes?
Speaking to Monday Night Football, the Manchester United legend said: “What the really good players do, they affect games.
“He’s effecting games at this moment. Listen, there’s a long winter, there’s a long way to go yet but at the moment he’s in a rich vein of form and he’s doing what you’re supposed to as a midfielder. You’re supposed to tick a lot of boxes and we’ve seen in terms of his tackling, his running, he’s added a few goals to it.
“He’s got that football intelligence.”
What are Guimaraes’ most impressive statistics?
Clearly, goals catch the eye but the underlying numbers highlighted by Sky make for pleasant reading.
Indeed, as Carragher points out, Guimaraes averages more tackles (4), more through balls (1.1) and more carries (20) per game than the likes of Rodri, Fabinho, Declan Rice, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Jorginho and Thomas Partey. Only Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Reece James, meanwhile, beat him for passing success rate when pressured (86%).
This is a player capable of operating in tight spaces, one willing to win the ball back and drive forward, the kind of characteristics to make him a huge fan favourite.
At a reported £40m, it’s hard to think of a better signing Newcastle could have made.
