Eddie Howe has provided a rather worrying update on Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa, who suffered a knee injury on international duty in September.
After completing a deadline day move worth around £55m, the 29-year-old is still yet to make his debut for the Magpies.
Yoane Wissa is currently out of action after suffering a bizarre knee injury on international duty, where it appears the studs on his boots got caught up in the grass. His injury means that Nick Woltemade has had more time to settle in at Newcastle United and stake his claim to become the first-choice striker on Tyneside.
However, a lack of depth is a clear issue, as William Osula is Howe’s only other option up front for the next game against Bournemouth.
Reports state that Newcastle are not going to rush Wissa back from injury, as he barely had a pre-season with Brentford before leaving. Now, Howe has provided a fresh update on the DR Congo international.
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Yoane Wissa will be in a race for fitness to return against Brighton in October
The Magpies could do with Wissa at the moment, as they are just two games into a seven-game run over the course of 23 days. Howe needs all the help he can possibly get, but he must rely on Woltemade to get the job done for now.
Fans are desperate to see the striker play, but Howe has confirmed that it will be at least a month before they get the chance to do so. In his pre-match interview ahead of the Bournemouth game, Howe was asked for an update on Wissa.
“It is impactful and of course everyone wanted Yoane to be fit,” he said.
“There’s nothing personally I would have done differently. We did everything we did as a football club to try to look after Yoane.
“But it’s like with any footballer when they go away on international duty, you’re not in control of the minutes they play and unfortunately, he gets injured and now we just have to deal the best we can with that situation.
“We think he’ll be out until the next international break. He’s sort of got a race on to be fit for that Brighton game (Oct 18). Hopefully he can make it and then, of course, he’ll be such an important player for us”
Eddie Howe must keep his strikers fit while Yoane Wissa is absent
Anthony Gordon played through the middle against Barcelona on Thursday night, with Woltemade dropped to the bench after his debut goal against Wolves.
Howe said that he does not regret dropping Woltemade, but one would argue that he could have taken the chances missed by the likes of Harvey Barnes against Barca.
After the Wolves game, Woltemade admitted he came off with cramp and was feeling the effects of Premier League football after just 45 minutes.
While it is understandable that it was a struggle in a brand new environment, Howe needs to get the likes of Woltemade up to speed with English football, to give his side the best possible chance of being successful this season.
Osula is waiting in the wings if Woltemade is unfit for Sunday, but the German will surely get the nod to start.
With Wissa away, Howe should see keeping his strikers fit and healthy as a matter of urgency.
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