Newcastle Faces Injury Challenge with Wissa Out
Injury News
Newcastle United is dealing with an injury setback as their new forward, Yoane Wissa, is expected to be unavailable for at least four weeks due to a knee injury sustained while on international duty with the DR Congo, as announced by manager Eddie Howe on Friday.
Wissa, who was acquired for £55 million (approximately $74.26 million) after a prolonged transfer negotiation during which Brentford rejected Newcastle’s initial offers, was brought on to fill the gap left by Alexander Isak’s transfer to Liverpool.
He is now racing against time to potentially return for Newcastle’s match on October 18, scheduled against Brighton.
Manager’s Comments
“Everyone was hopeful for Yoane’s fitness,” Howe stated to the media before the forthcoming match against fourth-placed Bournemouth. “There’s nothing I could have done differently. We took every measure as a club to support Yoane.”
“Howe continued, “However, when players go on international duty, we lose control over their playing time, and unfortunately, he got injured. Now, we must manage the situation as best we can.”
“We expect him to be out until after the next international break, but he has a challenge ahead to be ready for the Brighton match. We are hopeful he will be available, as he is crucial to our squad.”
Additional Pressure on Woltemade
Wissa’s injury puts added pressure on Newcastle’s other key summer signing, Nick Woltemade. The German forward, who joined from Stuttgart in a record-breaking deal worth around £69 million, had a stellar debut, scoring in the team’s 1-0 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
However, Howe mentioned that the 23-year-old still needs time to adjust to the Premier League. “We must be mindful of Nick’s transition. Adapting to a new league is challenging, and you could see the physical demands he faced against Wolves, followed by the quick turnaround for the match against Barcelona,” Howe explained.
“There are no guarantees that managing his workload will keep him fit and playing consistently, but we will strive to give him every opportunity to adapt to this league and maintain his fitness.”
“But he has commenced his career here excellently. He played well against Barcelona and was involved in the goal, so we are optimistic about his progress.”
