Newcastle United fans may soon finally get a chance to see Yoane Wissa in action.
On Monday, it was confirmed that Wissa will not play in this yearâs Africa Cup of Nations, with DR Congo having left the striker out of their squad.
While clearly a blow to his countryâs chances at the tournament in Morocco, itâs a major boost for Newcastle United and Eddie Howe.
Imagine the scenes if Yoane Wissaâs first game back sees him score the winner in the derby đ
Wissa hasnât been able to play for the club since joining from Brentford in September, following an injury sustained while playing for The Leopards shortly after his move.
His actual return date for Newcastle remains unclear at this stage, but the fact he wonât be heading off to a tournament later this month is clearly a boost.
Yoane Wissa set to make Newcastle United return âvery soonâ
Howe is keeping Wissaâs exact return date a secret because he doesnât want to let people down should there be any further complications.
That feels wise. Putting an exact date on it feels risky, given the extent of his absence.
Still, there has been a promising update from Luke Edwards of The Daily Telegraph.
He took to social media platform X to write: âNo Yoane Wissa in the Congo DR squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. Eddie Howe will be pleased about that. Good news for #nufc.
âI expect Wissa to be on the bench for a game very soon.â
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Yoane Wissa must prove to PIF he can be part of Newcastle Unitedâs exciting new era
The deal to sign Wissa from Brentford was reportedly met with some unease from PIF.
Itâs believed that the Newcastle United owners werenât fully comfortable about paying so much money (ÂŁ50million rising to ÂŁ55m) for a player approaching 30.
Howe pushed PIF to sign Wissa for Newcastle and, thus far, the move hasnât worked out at all given heâs not yet made a single appearance for the Magpies.
Though expecting too much too soon from him feels unwise, Wissa is under pressure to perform when he does return, with the club having spent a lot of money on him.
This is a new era for Newcastle. There have been teething problems but the post-Alexander Isak era is showing signs of promise.
Nick Woltemade is doing his bit. Wissa must do the same.