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Worrying update on Callum Wilson : Season could be over – Report

2 years ago
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With half-time fast approaching and Newcastle United leading 1-0 through an excellent Allan Saint-Maximin finish, we saw an exquisite piece of skill from Callum Wilson.

In the Man Utd half, the Newcastle centre-forward doing a smart turn on the ball to keep possession and help United to get to the break with their lead intact.

However, as he completed this piece of skill, Callum Wilson collapsed to the ground, a freak injury with no contact from anybody else.

The way that his leg gave way and the clear pain on the Newcastle striker’s face, for those watching on TV it was one of those ways where instantly you feared the worst.

However, after lengthy treatment on the pitch, not only did Callum Wilson walk off the pitch unaided, he then came back on. Something that I would guess none of us predicted when he initially collapsed to the ground.

The optimism provoked by his return to action was shortlived, as Wilson clearly didn’t look comfortable as he tried to run / work it off, eventually succumbing to the inevitable and subbed in the sixth minute of added time, added time that was almost completely due to his lengthy treatment.

The rollercoaster of emotions of those minutes during the last NUFC match have been matched by the aftermath, with regard to the player’s injury situation. Straight after the game it was feared that this could be a seriously lengthy lay-off, only to then be followed later in the week by claims that Callum Wilson could be back playing by the start of February.

That up on the rollercoaster of emotions / hopes has now been replaced by yet another downward turn, summed up here by one of the journalists covering Newcastle United, who usually has a pretty good handle on what is happening at NUFC.

Craig Hope of The Mail reporting via Twitter – Wednesday 5 January 2022:

“Callum Wilson will have further scans this week to determine full extent and nature of calf / Achilles injury that could change Newcastle United transfer priorities.

“Hierarchy hoping for good news but early thoughts of 6 weeks have made way for concern it could be longer.”

Craig Hope of The Mail reporting via Twitter – Thursday 5 January 2022:

“Callum Wilson has confirmed on his BBC podcast he’ll see specialist tomorrow (Friday) and injury is in calf and calcaneus area (attached to Achilles).

(***Medical correction… Wilson said “soleus” area, which is the muscle that “originates on the posterior aspect of the tibia & fibula & inserts on the calcaneus through the Achilles tendon”.)

“Timeframe and treatment to be determined, but there is a danger his season could be over.”

To be honest, when Callum Wilson went down, that was my first thought.

Bottom line is that there is just over four months to go until the end of the Premier League season and I would say it is odds against him playing again this season.

I really hope that I am proved wrong but I think definitely a case of hope for the best but fear (and prepare for!) the worst.

Amongst the many ludicrous strands / events we saw under Mike Ashley and Steve Bruce, to not bring in another striker in the summer (2021) was a real stand out. Bruce as always the willing stooge / patsy, declaring that Newcastle United had more than enough options up front. Despite letting Andy Carroll go and the fact that apart from Willock’s bizarre run of scoring eight goals from only seventeen shots, nobody else had scored more than four goals.

Given the injury record of Callum Wilson, that decision to not recruit another striker just looked so wrong.

Which brings us to now, bottom line is that with 18 goals in 37 Premier League starts Callum Wilson can come up with the goods…when on the pitch. However, he has already failed to start 20 of the 57 PL matches so far and that is a stat that is only going to get worse in the coming weeks and potentially / almost certainly coming months.

Newcastle United were surely planning on bringing in a striker anyway this month and now the only question is, whether it will be one or two. That question probably answered once Callum Wilson sees this specialist tomorrow.

A number of claimed targets have already been much talked about in the media and it looks more than likely that any striking recruit(s) will already have at least some experience of playing in the Premier League / English football.

Divock Origi is one of those, only 38 minutes of Premier League football so far this season in three brief sub appearances, but two goals for the 26 year old Belgium international. Only 181 minutes of PL football last season and you think surely he has to be looking to play regularly somewhere.

Eddie Nketiah is another striker struggling for Premier League minutes, exactly the same as Origi, the 22 year old Arsenal striker has managed only 38 minutes in three sub appearances. However, in the League Cup the forward has scored five in three games, including a hat-trick against third tier Sunderland.

Dominic Solanke moved to Bournemouth from Liverpool as a £20m buy at the age of 21, with three goals in 42 Premier League appearances on the south coast, fair to say everybody was writing him off.

However, Solanke has been finding his feet and after 15 goals in 40 Championship starts last season, it is 18 goals in only 25 league starts this time, for the now 24 year old.

Whilst the haters continue to mock Newcastle fans as supposedly expecting Mbappe and Haaland to arrive this window, Newcastle supporters are (generally!) far more realistic. Quite clearly, no Premier League club is going to willingly / easily sell any striker who is currently a regular goalscorer, or has the potential to in the second half of the season.

That leaves three options where Newcastle United would be more likely to be able to sign a striker (or two)…

A Premier League striker who is struggling for games, such as Origi or Nketiah, potentially / probably on loan. Alternatively, signing somebody from either the Championship or from abroad, where the level of money could offer would be more tempting potentially, than for a Premier League club.

All options carry risks, as indeed do all signings. However, signing no striker is not an option, even if the specialist comes back with the best possible diagnosis on Callum Wilson.

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