Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe was forced to withdraw one of his key players against Brentford, with a modern trend blamed for the setback.
The Magpies travelled to the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday afternoon looking to make amends for a shock 3-1 defeat to strugglers West Ham United in their previous Premier League outing.
Their trip, however, got off to a difficult start when one of their key midfielders was withdrawn after just 24 minutes.
New fashion blamed for Joelinton’s injury withdrawal
Joelinton was forced off with less than half an hour on the clock, following Dango Ouattara accidentally catching the midfielder’s calf with his studs as he cleared the ball.
He continued at first, but was soon replaced by Jacob Ramsey when it became clear the Brazilian couldn’t continue.
Lo que le ha pasado a Joelinton es el mejor mensaje para todos los jugadores jóvenes que deciden llevar la espinillera más pequeña reglamentariamente posible.Una patada mal dada te puede hacer un roto, sobre todo si esto es lo que te “protege”. pic.twitter.com/sUF9iIKkDRNovember 9, 2025
Sky Sports commentators Bill Leslie and Alan Smith were in no doubt about who the main culprit was: fashion.
As Joelinton initially fell to the floor, he threw his microscopic shin pad to the side – the reduced size being the latest trend – revealing a sizeable mark on his right leg from the studs of Ouattara.
Leslie and Smith commented on “the fashion these days” as Sky cameras zoomed in on the small protective guard, suggesting Joelinton’s injury may not have been as bad had he been wearing the larger shin pads that used to be more common.
The online sentiment concurred, with one X user stating: “Maybe if Joelinton wore shin pads instead of a piece of foam he’d be alright there.”
The laws of the game mandate shin pads must be an “appropriate size to provide reasonable protection” but do not provide specific measurements, leading to some players stretching the rule to avoid wearing the more cumbersome, but likely safer, larger versions.
More traditional shin pads would, in FourFourTwo’s opinion, probably have been enough to see Joelinton avoid this setback.
The bruising doesn’t, on first viewing, seem to be an issue that will keep the Brazilian out for a long time, but any absence will feel significant set against the marginal gains of smaller shin pads.
However, the forced change didn’t keep the Magpies down for too long, with Harvey Barnes netting the opener at the Gtech just three minutes after Joelinton’s withdrawal.
Joelinton is valued at €35m, according to Transfermarkt.
