Eddie Howe says Yoane Wissa is doing his very best to inspire his Newcastle United teammates to success during his injury lay-off.
Wissa is yet to play for Newcastle United since joining from Brentford in September following a knee injury sustained while representing DR Congo.
Sadly for Howe, Wissa hasn’t even trained with his Newcastle teammates as he looks to recover from the injury.
It seems unlikely that he will feature before this month’s international break. Never before has the forward missed this much football in a single season and even when he does return, he will need some time to get fully up to speed.
Wissa is grateful for his move to Newcastle and Howe has opened up on how his £55million striker is feeling behind the scenes.
Yoane Wissa smiles after Newcastle United's Carabao Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Yoane Wissa is trying to inspire his Newcastle United teammates after injury nightmare
The Newcastle United manager was speaking ahead of his side’s trip to West Ham on Sunday.
Naturally, Howe was asked about Wissa. Newcastle paid an awful lot of money to sign him following a protracted transfer saga, so he was always likely to be a topic of debate.
Howe revealed that Wissa is feeling positive behind the scenes and that he’s trying to inspire his teammates during a relentless fixture schedule.
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“He has a very strong character and that comes across,” he said during his pre-match press conference (via The Chronicle).
“He’s good with the players, he’s very positive. He’s a leader. You can see that already. He’s trying to inspire and help the players, which is sometimes very difficult when you come to a new club and you’re injured straight away.
“That’s a real tough mental challenge for him to take on, especially with his transfer fee.
“There’ll be a lot of emotions going through him, but all he can focus on is trying to get fit and trying to make a difference on the pitch.
“I think we can really help him when we get him fit.”
Yoane Wissa’s job at Newcastle United is getting easier and easier
There will be pressure on Wissa when he does return, there’s little doubt about that.
Wissa is one of the most expensive signings in Newcastle history and at the age of 29, he doesn’t have a huge amount of time to justify such a big fee.
Still, other members of the Newcastle United squad are stepping up. Nick Woltemade continues to shine, while fellow forward William Osula has impressed when called upon.
Their form should afford Wissa something of a soft landing. At some point, he’ll need to prove his worth, but the conditions currently appear to be in his favour when he eventually does return.