Bruno Guimaraes Sidelined 6-10 Weeks as Newcastle United Lose Midfield Linchpin

Newcastle United must confront the remainder of their season without captain Bruno Guimaraes after the influential midfielder sustained a hamstring injury during Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. The 28-year-old Brazil international is expected to miss between six and 10 weeks, ruling him out until after the March international break.

Guimaraes limped off in the first half at St James’ Park, leaving manager Eddie Howe to reshuffle a midfield already depleted by knocks to Joelinton and Lewis Miley. While the pair could return for upcoming fixtures—Joelinton potentially as early as next week—Guimaraes’ prolonged absence represents a far heavier blow to the Magpies’ ambitions on multiple fronts.

The timing is particularly cruel. Newcastle are scheduled for at least eight matches before Guimaraes can be considered for selection, beginning with Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round trip to Aston Villa. The Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland on March 22 falls squarely within his rehabilitation window, and should Newcastle overcome Qarabag in their Champions League play-off, the subsequent last-16 encounter—against either Chelsea or Barcelona—will also come too soon for the skipper.

Statistically, Newcastle have struggled mightily without their midfield metronome. Since Guimaraes’ full debut in March 2022, the club have failed to win any of the 12 Premier League fixtures he has not started, recording six defeats and six draws. His value in the final third has been equally stark: Guimaraes has contributed to 11 top-flight goals at St James’ Park this season—eight goals and three assists—making him the club’s most productive player in 2025-26 and the highest-scoring midfielder in black-and-white stripes since Georginio Wijnaldum’s 11-involvement campaign in 2015-16.

Internationally, Brazil have also pencilled in plans without Guimaraes, who will sit out friendlies against France on March 6 and Croatia on April 1 while he completes his recovery.

Newcastle’s medical staff have not set a firm return date, but the club are preparing for the possibility that their captain will not reappear until the Premier League visit to Crystal Palace on April 11. Until then, Howe must find solutions in the engine room or risk seeing a promising season unravel.