Callum Wilson has confirmed that he is ‘very close’ to a return to the Newcastle United squad but is unsure of an exact date. The 30-year-old has not yet played for the Magpies in 2022 after sustaining a calf injury in the draw against Manchester United in late December.
In the knowledge that he was facing an extended spell on the sidelines, Chris Wood was brought to the club in the January transfer window and, along with the other arrivals, has played a key role in the strong recent form. Since Wilson got injured, Newcastle have lost just once - the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea – and have picked up 20 points from nine games.
Had the former Bournemouth striker been available during that run, that tally could quite easily be higher and Eddie Howe will be looking forward to having his number nine back. Speaking on the Footballer’s Football Podcast, Wilson told co-host Michail Antonio that his return shouldn’t be too far away.
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“I’m getting there slowly, making good progress,” said the Newcastle frontman. “I should be out on the [training] pitches very soon which will be good. Then you know you’re very close to a return but I can’t really give a firm update as to when I’ll be back because I still don’t know.”
With news that Wilson is due to be back in training in the near future, Howe could well be hoping to have him back after the upcoming international break. If he is able to get up to speed for the trip to Tottenham on April 3 then he would have nine games left of this season to re-establish himself as one of the key players in the side.
It will be interesting to see whether Howe chooses to use him and Wood in the same starting XI with the current set up only having a place for one striker. Although, before there is chance for talk about how he fits back into the side, Wilson will be desperate to get back to full fitness without any further set backs.
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