St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - August 21, 2022. Newcastle United's Callum Wilson applauds fans.
Journalist Lee Ryder has insisted that Callum Wilson hasn’t been seen in training this week ahead of Newcastle United’s upcoming game.
The Lowdown: Wilson has struggled for form this season
There will have been a degree of shock and excitement amongst Newcastle fans last Sunday when Wilson was dropped to the bench in favour of club-record signing Alexander Isak, who stepped up and netted his fourth goal of the season.
Meanwhile, Wilson has struggled for form and consistency this season, starting just 15 league games with seven goals to show for his efforts. However, only one has come since the end of October, so he may well be looking at a more regular spot on the bench.
Despite being largely out of form this season, it’s always good to have someone so experienced in and around the matchday squad for Howe as he can pop up with a goal at any moment, but the England international could be absent this week, according to Ryder.
The Latest: Howe could be without Wilson this Friday
After missing a large chunk of last week’s training due to illness, Ryder has claimed on his YouTube channel that Wilson has not been seen or taken part in much training this week as Newcastle prepare to face Nottingham Forest.
He said: “Other knocks beginning to creep into the squad. Callum Wilson again, not seen in training so far this week. Doesn’t mean he’s not going to play, but certainly, in the build-up, we haven’t seen much of him.”
The Verdict: Eddie Howe may soon ease Wilson out of the first-team picture
Given Wilson’s horrible injury record over the last few years at Newcastle, it would make sense that the burden of leading the line every week is lessened on him as his body ages and struggles to recover as quickly as it once did.
Therefore, having someone younger in the form of Isak in the striker department will make it a lot easier for Howe to drop Wilson moving forward and slowly ease him out of the first-team picture.
Wilson has been a top-class servant for Newcastle, and having cost them £20m, he has certainly repaid them and then some, with the striker netting 27 goals in just 54 Premier League starts, so he will be fondly remembered for his ‘remarkable‘ mentality to come back from so many injury setbacks, but given his age, it may be time for a new dawn.
About the Author
