An awful start to the season gets worse for Newcastle United.
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After a miserable start to the campaign which in turn followed a bleak summer transfer window, star striker Callum Wilson could be ruled out for up to a month of Premier League action, according to The Chronicle.
Taken off in the draw against Southampton prior to the international break just gone, the 29-year-old may now not be in contention until the next one due to a thigh problem.
How big a blow is this for Steve Bruce?
With the pressure seemingly on Bruce after Chris Waugh revealed on The Athletic over the course of the weekend that figures at the top of the club weren’t overly impressed by his decision to take a holiday during the break, this is another terrible blow.
Indeed, Newcastle have won only two of the thirteen games he’s missed since joining the club for £20m from Bournemouth in September 2020, scoring just nine times in the process. In the Premier League this season, none of his teammates come anywhere close to matching his 3.3 shots per game (via WhoScored), robbing Bruce of his most potent attacker.
There’s also a wider worry to consider, too. Having suffered two long-term injuries on the South Coast, the fact a player close to 30 is consistently picking up strains and knocks after a big transfer should be a concern. While important not to write him off, of course, his injury record is worrisome.
Neither Joelinton and Dwight Gayle have ever looked convincing as the leading striker and Joe Willock – Bruce’s saviour last season – is yet to score at all this time around.
Once again, Newcastle have left themselves far too short and, perhaps inevitably, it looks like coming back to bite them.
What has Bruce said about Callum Wilson’s injury?
Speaking after the loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford, the Newcastle manager claimed he was not putting a timescale on Wilson’s return date.
“We aren’t putting a time scale on it,” he said.
“But he could be touch and go for next week and the week after it.”
