"He's an unbelievable player" - Bruno hails unsung hero and sends message to Howe

Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes made sure an unsung hero enjoyed his moment in the spotlight following our comfortable victory over Manchester United.

Jason Tindall guided the Mags to a fifth consecutive win in a classy performance at St. James' Park with black-and-white shirts winning their battles across the park.

One performance in particular stood out for captain Bruno, however, as the Brazilian highlighted the importance of one of the standout Mags in recent weeks that has found form at the perfect time after a difficult few months.

Bruno hails Barnes

“Unbelievable” Harvey Barnes earned the credit of his Bruno Guimaraes after extending his good run of form with a brace against Manchester United.

Anthony Gordon’s suspension and concurrent injury opened the door for Barnes to impress in his preferred position on the left wing, and did so yet again against Ruben Amorim’s side on Sunday.

Asked about Barnes’ impact in recent weeks, where he's bagged three goals and two assists in our last four league games, Bruno said:

"He's an unbelievable player. He is fun. I love him, the way he plays, the way he shoots. He always works hard and tries to help the team.

"He deserves his moment. I'm very, very happy for him. He's an unbelievable professional and an unbelievable player."

Barnes’ double against Man Utd made it five goal contributions in four Premier League appearances in Gordon’s absence, adding to an assist against both West Ham and Brentford and scoring past former side Leicester City.

The 28-year-old has been key in the past month and has perhaps gone under the radar slightly due to the immense performances of Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali earning high praise.

A much fitter looking Barnes is now our second top scorer this season with eight to his tally - staggering considering he hadn’t scored at St. James since the 1st of September before Sunday!

Bruno and Barnes on absent Howe

Tindall took charge against Manchester United with Eddie Howe absent from the dugout after being admitted to hospital late on Friday after several days of feeling unwell.

The players found motivation in trying to bring some cheer to an ill Mag manager, with both Bruno and Barnes passing on a warm message in their post-match interview.

 “When we went to the pitch we said we were going to play for him,” said Bruno. “He has been part of our success, he has been unbelievable for us so we miss him in the training ground this week and hopefully this win is going to give him a little bit of happiness and we are hopefully want to see him back for the next game.”

Barnes echoed the sentiments of the skipper, further highlighting the togetherness of a football club united from the top down.

“No [Howe wasn’t able to pass on any message to the players pre-match]. He’s on the road to recovery hopefully so that’s his main focus at the minute but, like Bruno said, he’s so influential throughout the week and obviously on a matchday,” said Player of the Match Barnes.

“We knew we had a job to do today without him and we did that. We said before the game that we need to put a smile on his face, and hopefully he’s on the road to recovery.”

"We knew we had a job to do without him"

Harvey Barnes and Bruno Guimaraes are hoping their huge win over Manchester United will have given Eddie Howe a bit of happiness as he recovers from illness ❤️ pic.twitter.com/urctCME9Hx

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 13, 2025