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5 months ago
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Callum Wilson has been talking about his injury issues.
The Newcastle United striker speaking ahead of the match against Manchester City.
Eddie Howe has already said that Callum Wilson won’t be involved on Saturday but when will he be back…?
Callum Wilson speaking on The Footballer’s Football Podcast and asked about when he thinks his calf injury will clear up and he will be available for selection again?
“How long is a piece of string?”
“I come back in good shape but I also push things as much as I can to make myself available to the team.
“It has been coming at the detriment of myself.
“Last time I got an injury in quick succession as I probably needed more time.
“I wouldn’t say I feel it as pressure (to come back). I’d say that’s the way I am, the way I am built.
2I’m driven and push as hard as I can. I think that’s why I have been successful.
“There are technically players that have passed me by but my hard work and determination has took me further than them.
“You get set back, you see the team struggling, you see Alexander Isak get injured and think ‘I’ll just declare myself fit next week’.
“I’ll always push regardless.
“You have to make sure you do it in the safest possible way.
“There’s a Euros at the end of the season I want to try and be a part of. If I do, I have to get things right now to get back.”
Eddie Howe said before the Sunderland match that Callum Wilson would definitely miss that Mackem game and this Man City one. Clearly, the NUFC boss hoping that with then a two week gap following this Saturday’s match, Callum Wilson (and others!) could / would be back available.
Whilst Callum Wilson hasn’t been a stranger to injuries in his career, I don’t think it takes a genius to work out what has been happening this season.
Quite clearly, both Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson have been playing at times when obviously they aren’t fully fit. Both of them doing their bit for the team, when ideally they wouldn’t have been on the pitch.
For many Newcastle United fans, that then leads them to question why another striker wasn’t brought in last summer, especially with the added workload of Champions League football. However, you then have the conundrum of where do you then find a striker good enough to play for this NUFC team BUT who would settle for being third choice, then of course the small matter of FFP restrictions meaning the club can’t just spend whatever they like.
Anyway, the net result has almost been like the two strikers working as a tag-team, in terms of only one (at best!) of the pair appearing to be fully fit at any one time, in recent months. Then that one fit (fitter?) striker having to start every match, as otherwise it would be a case of putting Gordon or Joelinton up front.
Alexander Isak had been the ‘fit’ one in a tough run of quick succession matches leading up to and including the Tottenham defeat, Callum Wilson came back that game as a sub.
Then three days later, it was Callum Wilson back in the team against AC Milan and Alexander Isak clearly only able to be a sub at best.
Callum Wilson starting…
13 December – AC Milan (home)
16 December – Fulham (home)
19 December – Chelsea (away)
23 December – Luton (away)
Four games and only ten days separating the first and the fourth.
I don’t think any of were surprised that this then quickly led to Callum Wilson missing again. He did come on as a sub against Forest (26 December) but then out for at least a month with this calf problem.
The 64 dollar question of course is, if Callum Wilson hadn’t had to start all of those four matches in such quick succession, would he have then become unavailable for minimum of a month?
I don’t think you can doubt for one second the commitment of Callum Wilson nor Alexander Isak, indeed, I don’t doubt any of this current squad when it comes to commitment.
I think we have simply been very unlucky with the number of players ruled out for so many games AND then particularly with the strikers, you end up in a situation of an extra knock-on problem, whereby especially up front, Eddie Howe has had such limited options that he had no choice but to play certain players at times, when he would rather not have done. Which has led to more injury issues, a vicious circle.
As for anybody who sees the England reference as some kind of negative.
Well, you would have to be daft to be thinking of this as another Michael Owen, where England is the only priority.
Of course Callum Wilson will be desperate to go to this summer’s Euros in Germany, especially as it will be the last tournament he could be involved in.
However, none of this is to the detriment of Newcastle United, quite the opposite in fact. Callum Wilson knows he needs to get back fully fit and in form ASAP and scoring goals, to have a chance of selection for the Euros. There is only one more England get together before the end of the season and Callum Wilson will be desperate to be back banging in the goals for Newcastle long before that March 2024 England squad is selected.

 
