Yoane Wissa fitness update as Newcastle United get £124m boost ahead of Sunderland clash
Newcastle United have both Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade available for the first time.
Yoane Wissa made his long-awaited Newcastle United debut in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Burnley at St James’ Park.
The 29-year-old was named in the matchday squad for the first time since completing his £55million transfer from Brentford on September 1.
Wissa came on as a substitute in the 75th minute, marking his return from three months out with a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury.
Yoane Wissa make his Newcastle United debut... finally
Reflecting on Wissa’s comeback, Eddie Howe said: “Really important. I think he's done a lot of work to get to this point. He's got a lot more work to do to get to the very best level that he can. Yeah, very pleased to have him available.
“We hope to keep him available by managing correctly. It's difficult with the spell of games that we have to sort of train him and build his fitness with all the game schedule, so it's going to be a really delicate balance for us, but hopefully we can find a solution to it.”
Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade rotation
Wissa replaced Nick Woltemade in the closing stages, a substitution that is set to become a common one over the busy festive period.
“Yeah, I think once Yoane gets up to full speed, I'd say he's probably a little bit short of that at the moment, being able to start again, ut we'll make that decision game by game.
“But just having him available from the bench to share the load is crucial. Nick's done incredibly well carrying that burden on his own. It's not an easy thing to do, especially at this club, with the expectations being so high.
“Certainly it wasn't our best game in terms of involving him. Burnley did well, they limited space, it was a very tight pitch for us. As I say, it wasn't our finest before.
Newcastle United have £124m strike force available for the first time
Newcastle’s strike force underwent a major transition in the summer with Callum Wilson departing before Alexander Isak joined Liverpool for a British record £130m.
The Magpies brought in Woltemade for a club-record £69m from Stuttgart and then recruited Wissa a couple of days later, but an injury for the latter on international duty with DR Congo meant the two had never been in the same matchday squad - until yesterday.
Howe added: “Yeah, I think they're very different players. They're very different players by stature, firstly. You can see their polar opposites in some senses.
“But I do think they bring similar qualities in the respect that they're both technically very good. They both play well for us. They both want to score goals, and just do it in a slightly different way. Yoane will take a while to get to his very best level, I'll make that very clear.
“Nick will take a while to fully adjust to the Premier League and to fully get used to the responsibilities placed on his shoulders planned for us. But I think he's made a great start, so I think it's very positive for both players.”