Yoane Wissa injury news: Injury expert provides intriguing insight as Newcastle United face AFCON decision

Yoane Wissa is yet to feature for Newcastle United following his £55m deadline day move from Brentford. Wissa was injured whilst on international duty with DR Congo back in September and has been sidelined ever since.

It was hoped that the 29-year-old could be back before the November international break, although that seems less likely as the days go by. Eddie Howe has confirmed that Wissa will need a ‘six-week pre-season programme’ to get him back to full speed and with a two-week break coming up following games against West Ham, Athletic Club and Brentford, it’s likely that Wissa will not return until after that break.

Injury expert provides Yoane Wissa injury update

Amid much noise and intrigue surrounding Wissa’s return to action, the Shields Gazette asked injury expert Ben Dinnery for his opinion on Wissa and when Magpies fans can expect their new striker to not only be back in action, but also back up to full speed.

Speaking to Esports Bets, Dinnery said: “Full speed... I mean, again, we have AFCON, and this could probably provide a good platform for Yoane Wissa to maybe get some minutes in his legs and get that little bit of match sharpness. All being well - and again, the caveat is we're never 100% - but really using this opportunity in that December period could provide that opportunity for Yoane Wissa to really kick on in the second half of the season.

“When you've spent, you know, a fairly substantial period on the sidelines, there will be opportunities for him just to sort of understand the tactical side of things, how Eddie Howe wants him to be involved, and that'll all change from Brentford. So he's had that opportunity to really take a step back and understand what the demands on his needs are going to be.

“And so hopefully, when he comes into that team, that should be a quicker progression as opposed to maybe just coming in and almost learning on the job. He's had an opportunity to observe and do a lot of video analysis, watching appropriately. So it'll be a case of just building up that fitness, getting that sharpness.

“And again, you know, if things are going well on the pitch for Newcastle, then we're in a position to be able to manage Yoane Wissa and gradually integrate him within that first team environment, which is always the best course of action.”

Seeing Wissa in a black and white shirt is an exciting and intriguing proposition, but fans, his new teammates and coaches won’t want Wissa to return to action for his club, only to then be injured again. On the risks of Wissa suffering a similar injury in the future, Dinnery added: “In terms of structurally, if we're talking about a muscular problem, they're a little bit more worrisome if you're looking at the data and the statistics and the research behind that.

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“You know, if you go anytime within that sort of maybe 30-day period return to play, you're at an increased risk of suffering some kind of setback. And again, we hear about players who are returning off the backs of medium to long-term injuries and they're often suffering sort of little knocks and niggles and soft tissue problems.

“So that's always a concern and there's got to be obviously a balance between returning a player, integrating that player, and getting to a point where they're able to develop and progress and move within that environment without sort of pushing them too hard. I still think Wissa will need to be managed sensibly in terms of how that's happened. I know we're hoping maybe we see Wissa back within the Newcastle first-team squad, maybe towards the end of November. So there may be opportunities to get some minutes from the bench, a couple of bounce games, maybe an opportunity for the under-21s and then going off to AFCON.

“And like I said, just hopefully him being in a better position to be able to contribute positively to the event. But, you know, ultimately, you are in the hands of the national team and their backroom staff. But the relationships between clubs and companies now are a lot better than they were a few years back.”

With the African Cup of Nations set to be played over Christmas and into the new year, Wissa may go away and represent DR Congo in that tournament. However, he will likely have had just a month’s training and playing time before that tournament.

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