Yoane Wissa opens up on decision to drop out of AFCON after making Newcastle United debut
Yoane Wissa has finally made his debut for Newcastle United, and after two substitute appearances, the DR Congo striker got his first start in the Carabao Cup game against Fulham, in which he opened his account after just 10 minutes.
The Magpies had waited three months to see their £55 million striker in action following his summer move from Brentford.
Just days after signing for Newcastle, the 29-year-old injured his knee on international duty, and Nick Woltemade was thrust into the spotlight.
As Wissa's return from injury drew closer, fans were concerned that no sooner would he be available than he'd be heading off to the African Cup of Nations with DR Congo, but when the time came to register their final squad for the tournament, Wissa's name was surprisingly absent.
Yoane Wissa admits he's not in the best shape following his long layoff
It seemed to be the right thing to do for many, given how hard he pushed for his move to Tyneside, that he would stick around to repay the club that spent so much money on him with no return.
Now, speaking to Foot DRC, Wissa has opened up on his decision to stay with his club, and it's not quite as noble a gesture as we may have thought.
“I’m not in the best shape to represent my country right now. It’s a very difficult decision to make. The DRC holds a special place in my heart. I can only wish my teammates the best of luck in this AFCON. The most important thing now is to get back in shape so I can help the team during the playoffs in March.”
Newcastle have Yoane Wissa available over the busy festive period
We'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that's just the line he's feeding his country's supporters, and there was some part of him that wanted to prove himself to Newcastle.
It would not have gone down well had he jetted off to the AFCON and picked up another injury without making any kind of a mark at Newcastle first.
With the fixture congestion around this time of year, it's good that we have him as an option, especially while so many other clubs are having to shift their squad to cope with missing players who have gone to the tournament.
