Yoane Wissa’s Newcastle United debut has been delayed again, according to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope.
Hope reported that “Yoane Wissa will NOT make his Newcastle debut at former club Brentford this weekend,
as was previously mooted.”
The insider went on to reveal that “the timeframe on the striker’s comeback has been revised and, while the hope is he will be available not long after the international break, the exact date is unknown.”
According to Hope, Wissa “is said to be working well on the grass and is building up his fitness. His knee is feeling strong and, as such, there is no ‘injury’. However, Newcastle want the 29-year-old to be ready to impact and impress when he does finally play.”
The report explained that the club’s medical staff prefer to avoid rushing the £55 million signing back too soon.
“It would be seen as counterproductive were they to rush him back and his performances be way below his best level,” Hope wrote.
Instead, Newcastle plan for Wissa to complete additional conditioning work and “perhaps a behind-closed-doors friendly” to ensure he is “in a better place both physically and mentally.”
Hope also confirmed that “it could be that early December is a more realistic target for his return.”
Newcastle have submitted a compensation claim to FIFA’s Club Protection Programme, which “will cover Wissa’s wages from October 7 until the day he plays for the first team.”
On the international front, Hope added that “it seems increasingly unlikely that Wissa will play at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco,” with sources expecting “a compromise to be reached in the best interests of the player.”
