Newcastle United F.C.
·13 juillet 2025
Joelinton "fully fit and happy" ahead of pre-season campaign

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Yahoo sportsNewcastle United F.C.
·13 juillet 2025
The Brazilian, who enters his seventh season with the Magpies since joining from TSG Hoffenheim in the summer of 2019, reported into the Magpies' Benton HQ earlier this week before getting straight to work with a number of his United teammates.
After sustaining a knee injury in April, subsequently missing the remainder of the season which saw Newcastle gain UEFA Champions League qualification, the 28-year-old revealed he has fully recovered from his difficult setback which he, ultimately, believed was an important choice to make.
"I feel good now," he told newcastleunited.com. "I've had a long time to recover. The start of it was very difficult as, personally, I was very frustrated about the injury at the end of the season.
"There was a lot of important games and I could have been with the team. I was very sad but I knew I had to step out and recover because of my knee as I couldn't help the team in the way I wanted. It was the best decision and I had enough time to recover and come back, starting with the guys in pre-season.
"My knee is good, I feel fully fit and happy. Injuries are not what you want but they can happen in football sometimes and you just have to deal with them and do everything you can to be fit. I now hope to have a season without injuries."
A number of Joelinton's teammates are yet to return to Tyneside after representing their countries whilst on international duty this summer, including the likes of Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimarães, but the physical South American is pleased to be reunited with those he considers to be more than work colleagues.
He added: "I'm happy to be back with the lads and enjoy being back at work for, hopefully, a great season ahead. It's great to see everyone again; my teammates, the coaching staff and physios.
"We have a really good group here. I feel like it's a family as we are friends and it's very good to be with them again. There's a few of the players back but we will all be together next week and making sure we work hard everyday to get ready for the first (Premier League) game of the season."
After Anthony Elanga became the club's first senior signing of this summer's transfer window, following the Sweden international's transfer from Nottingham Forest on Friday, Joelinton was pleased with the arrival of the highly-rated winger, who has recorded four goal involvements in his last four Premier League matches against Newcastle, including three assists.
"He's a really good player with a lot of qualities," Joelinton explained. "He's very fast, can score or assist and has been tough to play against so I'm happy he's now joined us!
"He will be very welcomed into the group and we will do everything to make sure he feels at home and comfortable so he can do what he has been doing for Nottingham Forest. I'm very happy he has signed and I wish him all the best."
With the 26th FIFA World Cup taking place next year, Joelinton will also be determined to be named in the Brazil squad for the 2026 finals in North America, with the five-time World champions already secured qualification for the tournament last month.
Capped seven times by his country at senior level, scoring on his debut in a 4-1 win against Guinea in June 2023, he is fully focussed on his performances at club level if he is to feature at a major international tournament for the first time.
"For me, the most important thing is Newcastle, with the games we have here and the competitions we have to play, especially being back in the Champions League," he said.
"We have a lot of big matches and I want to be ready for everything. Being in the Brazil national team would be a result of what I'm doing here.
"Of course, I have the World Cup in my mind and I want to be in the squad next year but I know I need to work hard for my club. If I have the chance to go and represent my country, I would be very proud."
Eddie Howe's side take on Scottish Premiership winners Celtic FC on Saturday in their first of six pre-season fixtures and, after travelling to Singapore to face Arsenal on 27 July, will conclude the club's tour of Asia with matches against Team K League and Tottenham Hotspur in South Korea on 30 July and 3 August respectively.
Joelinton is relishing the opportunity to visit new countries and is hopeful the matches will be highly beneficial before the Magpies kick off their 2025/26 Premier League campaign with an away trip to Aston Villa on Saturday, 16th August (kick-off 12.30pm BST).
"I'm really looking forward to pre-season, playing a lot of good games to get minutes in the legs," Joelinton said. "Football also gives us the opportunity to visit different countries.
"I've never been to Singapore or South Korea so it will be the first time and I'm excited for it, seeing new cultures and learning things. We'll be playing in Suwon, where the Brazil national team played in the (2002) World Cup so I can't wait.
"Physically, pre-season is about getting back to work and into that routine we have. It's also important to be injury-free and prepare well before the first league game of the season. Everything we do now is to get that confidence and knowing we've had a good pre-season and are ready to start the season well."
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