Eddie Howe slams ‘nonsense’ report linking Bruno Guimaraes with move to Man United | OneFootball

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has vehemently dismissed reports suggesting captain Bruno Guimaraes is in advanced talks with Manchester United over a summer transfer, branding the claims as "nonsense".

The Brazil international, 28, recently returned to Tyneside after undergoing rehabilitation for a hamstring injury in his home country, but his return was overshadowed by speculation from South America linking him with a move to Old Trafford.

Howe, who has expressed frustration in recent weeks over similar transfer rumours involving key players like Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall amid concerns about Champions League qualification, was quick to shut down the latest suggestion.

"I don’t even know how to respond to that. I don’t even think I should because it’s a waste of my energy," Howe stated.

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Eddie Howe dismissed the claims about Bruno Guimaraes (AFP/Getty)

"I’m not going to be impolite because I don’t think it’s the forum to do that in. For me it’s a nonsense story. Bruno’s our captain, he’s fully committed. He’s injured at the moment, his only focus is coming back to fitness. For me, it is not the time to think about it.

“In the summer, you can understand those stories a little bit more because the transfer window is open. To say our captain is in discussions with another club is totally disrespectful to Bruno more than anything else. He is totally committed here."

The transfer speculation surrounding Guimaraes emerges as a minor distraction ahead of a crucial weekend for the Magpies.

The team is looking to rebound from a heavy 7-2 defeat against Barcelona on Wednesday evening and, more pressingly, to erase the bitter memory of their derby loss to Sunderland in December.

That previous encounter saw Newcastle fall 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on 14 December, with Nick Woltemade’s own goal handing their newly-promoted arch-rivals the bragging rights.

Reflecting on that painful experience, Howe admitted: "The fall-out of it was long and painful. It certainly did not help us."

He added: "There is an extra weight with the fixture in the sense of, you know if you don’t perform, there will be a large and painful baggage that goes with you. We don’t want that.

“It affects future performances and affects the emotion and feeling of the whole city. We want all the positives of the game that can carry us on a new run and a new wave of optimism, so you know you’re going into the game on a knife-edge.

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Howe hopes Sandro Tonali will be available this weekend (PA)

“In some respects, that can bring out the best in your players. It’s all the positive emotions we want, because it could be a turning point in our season very much for the better."

Despite the significance of the upcoming derby, the Newcastle boss confirmed he would not be using the negative memories of the previous Wearside performance to heap pressure on his squad.

Howe, who hopes to have midfielder Sandro Tonali fit after he limped off at the Nou Camp with a groin problem, concluded: "I’m not sure drumming that message into them is a positive or the right thing to do. It’s a very negative message.

“I would much prefer to go with the positive message because we need to inspire the players, not put fear into them."