A key update has emerged on Newcastle United colossus Joelinton's injury situation...

What's the latest?

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has provided an update on the Brazilian after he was taken off in the first half against Leeds in the Premier League on Saturday.

The update came courtesy of Lee Ryer who relayed the following quotes in The Chronicle: "Joelinton has been suffering with a groin problem since I arrived.

"We’ve been managing him through the games. It’s a problem where he’s been going down in games related to that groin and today it’s come to that so that was a big disappointment with the form that he’s been in."

Frustration

This update will frustrate Newcastle supporters for several reasons. Firstly, it confirms that this is a long-running issue that has not been solved.

Howe's comments indicate that he was dealing with the problem under Steve Bruce and the former Magpies boss did not manage to fix it.

However, they also mean that Howe has been playing him in spite of his pain instead of attempting to resolve his injury, although it remains to be seen how difficult that will be.

If he is able to see out the remainder of the campaign before seeking a long-term fix in the summer then playing him in recent weeks would make sense, but fans will surely be left irritated by the decision to play him if he is now ruled out for a number of matches in the here and now.

The supporters will also be frustrated by this as Joelinton could be a major loss for the Magpies on the pitch. He has recorded SofaScore ratings of 7.0 or higher in each of his last three games, playing in central midfield, which shows that his performances have been impressive since switching his position.

Before coming off with his injury against Leeds, he won five duels, three tackles, one interception and completed 100% of his attempted dribbles whilst creating one chance - as per SofaScore.

This highlights the impact he can make at both ends of the pitch as a box-to-box midfielder and why fans won't be pleased with his injury situation heading into a crucial period of matches.

Hopefully, for this reason, this is not a serious problem for the 6 foot 1 colossus and he will be able to manage through the pain to continue putting in excellent displays for the club in the Premier League.

AND in other news, Howe plotting late NUFC swoop for "outstanding" £61k-p/w beast, fans will be amazed...