- World Cup could be perfect opportunity for Newcastle star Yoane Wissa
- Wissa has chance to prepare himself for coming Premier League season
- Striker has the backing of everyone at Newcastle United
Yoane Wissa’s Newcastle United career to this point has been more reminiscent of a car crash than that of a £55m signing. The forward managed just three goals and two assists from 28 appearances in his first season on Tyneside, whilst only starting four out of his 19 Premier League appearances.
As a result, there is a feeling that his career in black and white may already be coming to a close, with whispers of a possible move away this summer still not entirely subsiding.
But, with the upcoming World Cup, Yoane Wissa may yet have a chance to prove his worth in the Magpies’ ranks.
He will join up with the DR Congo national team this summer, which is ironically the very same way he suffered the long-term knee injury that set his Newcastle career off on the wrong foot.
Wissa set for World Cup redemption arc
Wissa’s standing within the national team ranks has never faltered, even with his rather abhorrent domestic season.
In fact, the striker went down in Democratic Congolese folklore earlier in the year after playing a major part in the country’s first World Cup qualification since 1974 with an extra-time victory over Jamaica.
Jetting off to America this summer marks an excellent opportunity for Wissa to finally pick up the match fitness he has been so sorely missing.
Albeit that hasn’t got off to the greatest of starts, with the DR Congo’s training camp having to be moved to Belgium due to an Ebola outbreak, they have subsequently had to isolate for 21 days before heading to America.
Wissa will, all things being well, start every group game for his country against Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan and whatever knockout fixtures may arise following those games.
This should give Wissa a brilliant chance to really get up to speed before the shortened pre-season on Tyneside and will hopefully allow us to see a much-improved version of the forward when the Premier League starts up again in September.
Wissa receives backing
Wissa has received some rather motivational backing following his poor campaign, which should give him the impetus to attack next season with a vengeance.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has been vocal in his belief that Wissa will turn it around and have a much better season next time out, saying, “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, games every two or three days, stop-start for him; he was never able to get a rhythm.”
Not only has it been his manager who has spoken of their confidence in him, but ex-Newcastle defender Sebastian Bassong also spoke exclusively to Read Newcastle in support of the striker.
He said, “I think this season has been difficult for a number of reasons, but I am sure that after a good pre-season Wissa can show his maximum next season.”
There is an obvious desire to see him succeed from everyone involved in the club, past and present. Wissa himself has shown the determination he has to endear himself to the Geordie faithful in interviews, too, speaking on multiple occasions.
Pair that with the opportunity at the World Cup to really put his body in a place that is ready to succeed when the new season rolls around, and Wissa is perhaps more poised to explode than it first appears.
