A screenshot of Yoane Wissa's Newcastle United Interview.placeholder image
A screenshot of Yoane Wissa's Newcastle United Interview. | NUFC TV
Yoane Wissa injury: The £55million Newcastle United signing is closing in on finally making his debut for the club.
Yoane Wissa’s Newcastle United debut following his £55million deadline day arrival from Brentford has been delayed due to injury.
The 29-year-old suffered a knee injury on international with DR Congo back in September and has been absent ever since.
The injury initially ruled Wissa out until after the October international break, with the trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on October 18 pencilled in as a potential return date.
But the forward’s return has since been pushed back in an update issued by Magpies head coach Eddie Howe earlier this month.
“Yeah, he went to see a specialist again [on Thursday, October 2] just for a check-up on his knee, probably think it'll be more eight weeks than six, so maybe a slight delay, no reoccurrence, no problem, just maybe slightly longer,” Howe explained.
But Wissa’s absence has led to speculation over the severity of his injury, with knee injuries often ranging from weeks on the sidelines to well over a year. Given the money Newcastle paid for Wissa, who scored 19 Premier League goals for Brentford last season, the concern is understandable.
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Yoane Wissa injury fear played down
Fears that Wissa had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury had previously been played down by Howe but resurfaced during the international break.
ACL injuries had seen Jamaal Lascelles, Sven Botman and Emil Krafth all sidelined for lengthy periods at Newcastle.
But TheDaily Mail has reported it is an injury to Wissa’s posterior cruciate ligament that is the reason for his absence, rather than an ACL.
Wissa is said not to require surgery on his knee, which may have seen him sidelined for around nine months - supporting Howe’s eight-week return timeframe claim.
But there remains some uncertainty over Wissa’s recovery with the swelling around his knee yet to fully subsite, preventing him from training fully. Given the DR Congo international hasn’t played any matches at club level since May, he will require time to get up to speed.
An eight-week timeframe from the initial injury would be in and around the trip to West Ham United on November 2, though the trip to Brentford, Wissa’s former club, the following weekend is seen as a more realistic return date for the striker.
The impact of Wissa’s absence has been toned down due to the impressive form of £65million summer signing Nick Woltemade, who has four goals in five starts since joining the club.
An added complication for NUFC & Yoane Wissa
But as far as Wissa’s return is concerned, there is the added complication of international duty with DR Congo.
Wissa’s national team face a crucial World Cup play-off match against Cameroon following Newcastle’s trip to Brentford. Should DR Congo win that match, they would then face Gabon or Nigeria for a place at next summer’s World Cup.
Shortly after that, DR Congo are taking part in the African Cup of Nations, which takes place in Morocco from December 21 to January 18. Should DR Congo progress to the later stages of the competition, as they did two years ago when finishing fourth, Wissa could miss a further seven games for The Magpies.
Going to AFCON would at least see Wissa miss crucial Premier League ties against Chelsea and Manchester United over the festive period as well as a trip to Burnley before the new year.
But it remains to be seen whether Wissa will indeed go to the tournament, given his fitness situation and desire to finally make an impact on Tyneside.
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