There have been calls for the player to reject an Afcon call-up in December
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has refused to be drawn on whether Yoane Wissa should skip the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and instead prioritise playing for the club.
The 29-year-old forward joined the Magpies from Brentford for £55m on transfer deadline day, but he is yet to make his debut after suffering an injury while on international duty with DR Congo in September.
The belief is that he can return in November, but supporters are frustrated that he will almost certainly be called up by DR Congo just a few weeks later for Afcon.
Afcon will be held from 21 December to 18 January. It means the player could stay up to six months without having repaid the club in any meaningful fashion after the money they shelled out to sign him.
This week, club legend Alan Shearer urged the player to show “more responsibility” towards his club, and actually broached the topic of rejecting a call-up from DR Congo for Afcon.
“That’s a conversation and a topic I’m not going to get involved in,” said Howe. “That’s not fair on Yoane. I haven’t seen Alan’s comments but that’s one I’ll stay away from.”
Commenting on the player’s fitness situation, Newcastle’s manager said: “It’s great to see Yoane on the grass for the first time. He’s reacted pretty well to that work so far. Now, it’s a case of trying to step him up gradually.”
