Steve Bruce has been speaking to the media ahead of Newcastle’s trip to Southampton tomorrow evening, and Callum Wilson’s name was on the agenda.
The £20 million signing from Bournemouth has started his career at St James’ Park in blistering fashion.
The ex-Coventry striker has netted six goals in seven Premier League games for the Magpies, prompting a question regarding his chances of an England recall to pop up in Bruce’s press conference.
As quoted by The Chronicle, the ex-Sunderland boss said: ‘We are all hoping that Callum gets into the England squad. It would be great recognition for him and Newcastle. Although there’s a bit of me that wants to give him a few days off.’
In that press conference, the Magpies boss also said his talisman has an ‘unbelievable knack’ of scoring goals from a short distance, highlighting his excellent goalscoring instinct.
As you can see in the first set of quotes, Bruce has outlined a difficult Catch-22 situation here.
Of course, it would be great to see a Newcastle player make it into Gareth Southgate’s England squad, something which could improve the 28-year-old’s confidence and morale on Tyneside.
However, the flip side of this Catch-22 is what Bruce alluded to – Wilson could get injured if he fails to rest during the international break.
That is very likely. The Newcastle No.13’s game is based on running the channels tirelessly, often as the lone striker. Additionally, he has a worrying history with injuries.
Wilson has suffered two cruciate ligament ruptures since 2015, while he also missed eight games with a knee injury in 2018/19 according to Transfermarkt.
This situation is the true definition of a Catch-22.
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