Newcastle United are set to be without Yoane Wissa for this weekend's upcoming clash at Brentford in the Premier League. The 29-year-old striker has yet to feature for the Magpies since his £55million transfer from the Bees in the summer, following a knee injury sustained during a September World Cup qualifier whilst representing DR Congo.
There had been optimism that he would be available to face his previous club on Sunday, but he appears likely to miss the journey to West London after it was revealed he was not named in DR Congo's squad for their vital World Cup play-off against Cameroon.
The DR Congo football federation issued a statement on X announcing their 25-man roster and Wissa was not listed among the party. The Daily Mail say Wissa's new return date is still uncertain but it is hoped it will be early December.
Eddie Howe had originally indicated he would be back before the November international break, but when he addressed the media last Friday, ahead of Newcastle's clash at West Ham United, he was cautious about specifying a return date for his recovery from injury.
"It's definitely not West Ham," Howe informed reporters. "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."
Howe has also cautioned that Newcastle will need to exercise patience when it comes to Wissa's return to the pitch.
He further explained: "I think if you look at Yoane's situation, he will need almost a pre-season and 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.
"So 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."
This morning, ahead of the journey to Brentford, Howe is set to face the press and is anticipated to provide an update on Wissa's situation.