Newcastle United have been dealt another injury setback with £55million summer signing Yoane Wissa ruled out for an extended period after suffering a delay in his recovery from a knee problem.
Wissa, 29,
was originally expected to make his debut against Brighton after the international break, but Eddie Howe has confirmed the forward will now miss at least five more matches.
The Congolese striker, signed from Brentford in August, injured his knee playing for DR Congo shortly after joining NUFC and has yet to train with his new teammates.
“Yoane saw a specialist again yesterday for a check-up on his knee,” Howe told reporters during the Nott Forest pre-game press conference on Friday. “We probably think now it’ll be eight weeks rather than six (from the point of the injury). It’s no recurrence or problem, just slightly longer.”
That new timeline would delay Wissa’s debut until the November 2 clash with West Ham United, assuming everything goes according to plan and there are no more setbacks in the forward’s recovery.
The news also means Newcastle will continue to rely heavily on £69m record signing Nick Woltemade, who has scored three goals in his first four starts. The German forward will again lead the line at home to Nottingham Forest this weekend.
The plan had been for Wissa’s Premier League experience to carry Newcastle’s attack in the early weeks of the season, but his absence has left Howe short of options.
“There is regret inside the club that Wissa was never injured during four seasons at Brentford,” reported Craig Hope of the Daily Mail.
There was at least some positive news on the injury front, as midfielder Jacob Ramsey, who has been sidelined with an ankle problem since August, is back and could start getting minutes soon.
“Jacob could be involved this weekend, so his (injury) is slightly quicker than expected,” Howe said.
