Steve Bruce Defends Joelinton Despite Dropping Him for Southampton Win

​Steve Bruce has defended summer signing Joelinton after he was dropped for their 1-0 win at Southampton in favour of Dwight Gayle.

There were big hopes for the Brazilian after he signed for a club-record transfer fee of £40m from Hoffenheim in July 2019.

But Joelinton has had a slow first season in English football, only scoring one goal in the Premier League since his arrival.

Bruce still has hope that the 23-year-old can succeed on Tyneside after a tough debut campaign in black and white.

"There's been a lot on Joelinton, but we haven't had the ability to change,” Bruce said, as quoted by Newcastle Chronicle. "We haven't been able to give him a break because of the problems we've had. He's never squirmed away from it and he's always trained well.

"It has been a big learning curve for him. But that is always the challenge when you bring in an overseas player.”

Joelinton is not the first player who has taken time to adjust to the speed and intensity of the ​Premier League and it would be of no surprise if he started scoring consistently soon. Well, maybe a little bit of a surprise.

Bruce, a veteran of over two decades in football management, knows all too well about this adjustment period, explaining that Joelinton requires patience.

"When you have a player who is not used to the Premier League or used to be being in ​Newcastle, it takes time - and he's only young. I am sure he will be ok," Bruce added.

Newcastle have still managed to produce results even without their star striker firing. The Magpies currently sit 13th in the table and eight points off the relegation zone, despite being among the pre-season favourites for the drop.

Their next match is against ​Sheffield United at St. James' Park this Saturday.