George Caulkin has revealed on Pod on the Tyne that out-of-form striker Callum Wilson is still not in full training with his Newcastle United teammates.
The Lowdown: a massive dip in form
It is truly night and day the difference in form Wilson has showed in a Newcastle shirt either side of the World Cup, with the striker having one goal in the league since October, but that hasn’t seen Eddie Howe lose faith.
However, there may well need to be a serious conversation soon about Wilson, as he is 31 and Newcastle can’t keep benching £63m club-record signing Alexander Isak on the bench forever.
Isak has scored three goals in the league this season despite starting just five games, and with Wilson struggling to impact games and missing gilt-edged chances, he may soon need to change things on and off the pitch.
The Latest: Wilson struggling with the demands
Caulkin has revealed that amid Wilson’s atrocious injury record since joining Newcastle, he’s not doing the same training as every other Newcastle player, which could be a reason for his lack of sharpness and chemistry on the pitch.
He said: “We know that he’s not training on a daily basis in the way that he was before the World Cup. He’s come back from the World Cup and when you say he doesn’t look fit, I think he doesn’t look sharp – I think there is that side of it.
“I think it feels like he’s going through one of those spells as a centre-forward [where] he’s overthinking, he’s not getting into the positions naturally, he’s not taking them naturally and he looks a very different striker.”
The Verdict: Howe must make a big decision with Wilson
The fact that Wilson – who has a poor injury record having missed nine games this season – is still not able to take part in a normal training schedule could well start to see fans question his future at the club.
While we’re sure Wilson will always give his best for the club that made him their iconic No 9, he has previously admitted that he would never play a match if he’s only 80% fit, so it does indeed show he’s not fully ready to risk his body for the cause.
Therefore, this weekend’s must-win game at home to relegation strugglers Wolves could be the ideal opportunity for Howe to drop his favoured striker and hand Isak just his sixth start in the league since joining last summer as he is certainly the future given his age profile – though for £63m, he also needs to be the present on Tyneside.
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