Eddie Howe is a manager who already earned himself significant praise in English football for his heroics with Bournemouth, as he took them all the way up from a relegation dog fight in League Two to the Premier League across two separate stints.

Though it’s his tenure on Tyneside in the Newcastle dugout that has propelled him to the upper echelon of Premier League managers, winning silverware and taking us back to the Champions League in just four years.

But perhaps the most impressive skills in Howe’s managerial playbook is his unbelievable man management, taking good or underperforming players and turning them into world beaters in front of the St James’ Park crowd.

And former player Jeff Hendrick has revealed more about Howe’s biggest success story, and the decisions the gaffer took to transform one player into one of his biggest stars…

Hendrick on Joelinton: “He’s the best player here!”

Speaking to Boyle Sports, Jeff Hendrick recalled just how much Joelinton was transformed under Howe, and how the Brazilian was finally able to silence his doubters after some difficult seasons at the start of his Toon career.

“I actually have a pal who’s a Newcastle fan. He was delighted when I signed for them, but when Joelinton joined he was saying he’s not good, this and that.”

“I know the price tag was there and then getting the number nine jersey, but I’m nearly sure he wasn’t an out and out striker before he went to Newcastle.”

Joelinton arrived from Hoffenheim for a £40m club record fee, and despite early promising signs, including a winning goal against Spurs, he seemed destined to be one of the biggest flop signings in Premier League history.

Steve Bruce’s persistence on playing him at striker, or not playing him at all, started to grate on some fans, but Hendrick remained convinced he had all the tools to be a top player, just not a prolific goalscorer:

“We were under a lot of pressure at the time. The club wasn’t in a good place. It was a little bit toxic.

“But after a week, my pal was like, saying he’s rubbish and this and that. I was like, ‘he’s the best player here’. He’s literally got everything.

“He’s like, ‘no chance, no way’. I said, honestly, he’s big, strong, quick, runs all day, brilliant on the ball. I said, he’s just not going to score you 20 goals a season.”

On how Howe helped transform his game

Everyone remembers that game against Norwich. Ciaran Clark was sent off, and in a bid to shore us up defensively, Howe deployed Joelinton into the heart of the midfield.

The big Brazilian excelled, was kept there for the rest of the season, ended up winning our Player of the Season award upon our survival, and the rest is history.

Hendrick recalls one game in particular that showed Joelinton was already ready to take on the role of being a midfield enforcer.

“I’m sure it was just before Eddie Howe came in, or possibly when Howe came in, they started bringing him back. They played him in the 10, then sort of two eights, but he had the license to roam into the 10 position.

“I remember we played Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds and it was man for man. And then one of the tactics was, get the ball to Joelinton, because they won’t take the ball off him.

“He was that good. So to see him transition is crazy, but I don’t think he was an out and out striker. But it doesn’t surprise me at all because I think he’s brilliant and he looks so comfortable in there.

“With the other two lads, they all suit each other. They all have different roles as midfielders and he doesn’t look out of place at all.”