Yoane Wissa is unlikely to play a significant role for Newcastle United against Arsenal this weekend, with Eddie Howe suggesting the player still needs time to build his fitness in training.
Two months on from the last game Yoane Wissa missed through injury, the player remains a fringe member of Eddie Howe’s squad.
The striker has technically been available for Newcastle United’s last six Premier League games, and he’s likely to be in the squad against Arsenal again this weekend.
But he’s barely been used in recent weeks, playing 17 combined minutes across those last six matches and sitting on the bench for the full match against Bournemouth last weekend.
Addressing the situation at the weekend, Howe suggested that Wissa probably needs a pre-season and time in training to get back up to the level required.
“I still think there’s loads more to come. I feel a pre-season would definitely help him,” Howe said. “You’ll see a totally different player with a really sustained period where he’s able to do what he needs to do.
“He’s been trying, he’s been really wanting to make a difference. There have been physical things stopping him from doing that.
“No injury, just time on the pitch, he needs training to get his body up to full speed.
“We haven’t been able to train him how we would normally train him. It’s very small groups, game every two or three days, stop-start for him, he was never able to get a rhythm.”
Newcastle will certainly be without Joelinton against Arsenal, as he’s suspended for accumulating 10 yellow cards across the season. Emil Krafth and Fabian Schar are the other long-term absentees for Howe’s side.
Then Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento are both doubts after recent setbacks, though nothing is confirmed on their respective availabilities at this stage.
In normal circumstances, all those absences might make Wissa a lot more likely to be involved against Arsenal. But it seems Howe doesn’t yet trust the player to be able to make a real impact.