The brief cameos that Yoane Wissa is making in this Newcastle United team look set to continue.
Wissa finally made his Newcastle United debut earlier this month, a full 96 days after joining the club from Brentford.
The striker, who scored 19 Premier League goals last season without taking a penalty, is not going to the Africa Cup of Nations with DR Congo as he looks to kick on at club level.
Still, it seems as if the wait to see Wissa at his very best will continue for Newcastle fans.
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Clearly, the forward could have done little about the unfortunate nature with which he suffered a knee injury while playing for his country in September.
Still, in the context of this frustratingly inconsistent campaign, the fact that Newcastle’s £50million and Premier League-proven forward isn’t fully fit is just another problem to deal with.
The fact is that Wissa has played a total of only 32 minutes for Newcastle this season and actually completing a full game any time soon does not look likely.
Yoane Wissa still isn’t fully fit for Newcastle United
Indeed, that’s because Eddie Howe was asked about the forward’s fitness when speaking after Newcastle’s dreadful defeat to rivals Sunderland on Sunday.
Nick Woltemade – who scored an unfortunate own goal on Wearside – looked fatigued at times.
Still, the German (wholly ineffective against the Black Cats other than, well, scoring for them), lasted for 75 minutes at the Stadium of Light.
Wissa eventually replaced him but could not do much himself.
When asked about Wissa’s fitness, Howe said: “I don’t think Yoane’s ready to play 90 minutes but I think he was ready to play the minutes that he played today.”
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When Yoane Wissa might actually start a game for Newcastle United
Having Wissa available is a boost, but Woltemade is never going to get the rest he needs until his teammate is really raring to go, particularly given William Osula’s ankle injury.
The unfortunate situation places a lot of burden on the German, who will quickly need to shake off the disappointment of scoring an own goal on his Tyne-Wear derby debut.
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Sadly, such has been the length of the former Brentford star’s injury absence, Wissa might not start a Newcastle game until early 2026.
That places a lot of strain on Woltemade, although admittedly, little can be done about it.
Newcastle are stuck in a rut, and it may be a while before Wissa can fully help them out of it.
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