Newcastle United 2-0 Athletic Club: Joe Buck reaction
Newcastle United forward Yoane Wissa joined the club from Brentford for £55million on deadline day but is yet to make his debut due to injury.
Yoane Wissa is set to be ruled out for a 14th successive Newcastle United match since joining the club.
The 29-year-old suffered a posterior cruciate ligament injury while away on international duty with DR Congo in September. The injury was initially thought to not be serious, with a away trip to Brighton & Hove Albion last month initially pencilled in as a potential return date, Wissa’s absence now risks stretching into December.
The forward is back on the grass for Newcastle but is yet to return to full training and will therefore miss Sunday’s Premier League trip to his former club Brentford (2pm kick-off), as per Mail Online. He will also miss DR Congo’s crucial World Cup play-off match against Cameroon and the potential following game against Nigeria or Gabon to decide which African nation qualifies for next summer’s tournament in North America.
It will give Wissa another fortnight to build up his fitness now that he is back in light training. Last week, the forward teased he would be back ‘soon’ when pressed by his Newcastle teammate William Osula on Snapchat.
After the November international break, Newcastle host Manchester City in the Premier League before a trip to Marseille in the Champions League. But there is no certainty as to whether Wissa will be available for those games.
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Eddie Howe reveals Yoane Wissa six-week plan
Two weeks ago, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe admitted it may not be until December when Wissa is finally able to make an impact.
“I think if you look at Yoane's situation, he will need almost a pre-season,” Howe told The Gazette.
“Pre-season schedules that we give to players will be six weeks. We do that for a reason, so we can build them up and they can play in various games and then they're ready to perform.
“I'm not saying he won't play for six weeks. But I think to get to his very best level, it will probably take that time.
“But firstly, before we get to that stage, we need to get him fully 100% fit and then we can really push him. He's on that road.
“He's on track. He's doing well. So now I think we can push him a little bit harder.”
Yoane Wissa set to miss more NUFC matches
But Newcastle are likely to face more frustration regarding Wissa as once he returns to fitness after his six-week ‘pre-season’ plan, he will be in contention to head off to the African Cup of Nations with DR Congo.
AFCON 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.
It remains to be seen whether Wissa will indeed go to the tournament, given his fitness situation and desire to finally make an impact at Newcastle.
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