Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa has suffered a setback in his injury recovery, with Eddie Howe ruling him out for a further period of time.
The 29-year-old sealed a £55m move to St James’ Park during the summer transfer window, coming in alongside Nick Woltemade to make up for the loss of Alexander Isak.
While Woltemade has hit the ground running at Newcastle, becoming a firm favourite and scoring four goals in six Premier League appearances, Wissa is still awaiting his debut for the club.
The Congo international suffered a posterior cruciate ligament when representing his country in September, almost immediately after sealing his move to the Magpies, and hasn’t made it onto the pitch since.
There has been hope that Wissa could potentially make his Newcastle bow before the November international break, but a new update has poured cold water on that dream.
Wissa out for further period for Newcastle
According to journalist Craig Hope on X, Wissa is likely to remain injured for Newcastle beyond the internationals, in a new setback for him.
“Yoane Wissa is ‘not close’ to a Newcastle return and looks set to miss his proposed comeback date this side of the November international break.”
Meanwhile, Howe provided more depth on the situation, saying: “It (his comeback) is definitely not West Ham (on Sunday). He’s working very hard. He’s on the grass. He’s getting the fitness work in that he needs. I’d say he’s not close to training with the group at the moment, not through injury but through fitness, and making sure we build his robustness. I’m not trying to be evasive. I don’t know when the moment will be when he’s back with the squad.”
It has been such a frustrating start to Wissa’s Newcastle career, with the former Brentford man no doubt desperate to hit the ground running, only to be struck down by injury.
Thankfully, Woltemade has thrived since coming in, making his teammate’s absence less of an issue, but he can be such a potent weapon for the Magpies when he returns to full fitness, with Thomas Frank lauding him as “incredible” during their time together at Brentford.
For Newcastle fans, it’s a case of being patient with Wissa and accepting that it may be a while before they see the best of him in a Magpies shirt.
Even when he does eventually make his debut, it is going to take time for him to find a full level of fitness, and he needs to be eased in with care by Howe, in order to not aggravate the issue further.
