Yoane Wissa could make his long-awaited Newcastle United debut in early November, though his involvement before the Africa Cup of Nations will be limited, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh.
Waugh
said Wissa suffered what the club described as a “minor setback” in his recovery from a knee injury but is now pencilled in for a return around the West Ham United match on November 2. However, he cautioned that this was a “soft timeframe” and dependent on his fitness once he rejoins full training.
The 29-year-old, who joined from Brentford in a deal worth more than £50 million, has yet to complete a single full session with his teammates since arriving. In his absence, Nick Woltemade has led the line and Newcastle have adapted their attack to suit the German’s deeper, link-up style.
Waugh noted that Wissa’s qualities are “more direct” and closer to an orthodox No 9, meaning Eddie Howe will need to adjust the team’s approach once he returns.
“While he is not stylistically identical to Isak, he has developed into more of an out-and-out No 9 than Woltemade,” Waugh wrote.
With the Africa Cup of Nations beginning on December 21, Wissa could feature in eight to ten matches before departing for Morocco, depending on how he recovers and how quickly he enters Howe’s plans. The coach is expected to rotate heavily during that period to integrate him gradually, but with not a single training session, let alone appearance, under his Magpie belt, everything is still pretty much up in the air.
Even if Wissa’s international duties could extend into mid-January, Waugh added that the striker “still has almost half a season to make an impact,” giving Newcastle another chance to rediscover balance in attack as they push into the second half of the campaign.
