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Callum Wilson posts positive personal update – On his way back…but when will he play?

2 years ago
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Good news at last with Callum Wilson.

The Newcastle United striker has been out of action since December, when injured during the 1-1 draw at St James Park against Manchester United.

Callum Wilson confirming that he was now back in full training.

The Newcastle striker having put out a highlights reel on his Instagram account earlier this week, something which he now admits was ‘ a little subtle indication’ that he was now back in full training and has taken another significant step in his recovery towards full fitness.

Speaking on the Footballer’s Football Podcast, Callum Wilson:

“I am fully charged now.

“I think that it (Instagram highlights reel) was a little subtle indication that I’m back, without saying I’m back.

“It was a little reel of my goals and stuff like that.

“It was more for myself for personal use but it was quite good and I thought I’d share it with my Instagram followers.

“I’m back now, training, so it has been a good week.”

There has been a lot of talk about when / if Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson (and Ryan Fraser more recently) will return to action this season. However, a run of 10 wins in 14 Premier League games has changed the situation, in terms of no absolute desperate need for any of them to play another minute this season, unless it is seen as the right way to go and carry no increased risk of breaking down again.

If relegation had still been a possibility, then it would / could have been a different matter, with Eddie Howe pushing to see if he could get one or more of these players available to help get crucial results.

In the absence of that desperate need, I can only see any of the trio getting game time in the last three matches, if it is seen as a natural part of their progression and one that carries no extra risk of injury.

Kieran Trippier will no doubt be hoping to be involved with England when they have four Nations League games in June with the hope of making the World Cup finals in November / December this year, whilst Ryan Fraser could potentially be available to be brought back into the Scotland squad, for their semi-final play-off against Ukraine at the start of June, then if getting through that, a play-off final against Wales to decide who goes to the Qatar World Cup finals.

As for Callum Wilson, he will be looking towards next season and possibly still having a small hope he could get back into the England picture.

The striker has scored at a rate of a goal every other game for Newcastle United in the Premier League, 18 goals in 37 starts.

However, as in the past, injuries have intervened, only 23 PL starts last season and 14 so far this time, so far starting only 37 of the 73 Premier League matches during his time at St James Park. Considering he has scored those goals in a poor to average team, I think Callum Wilson would have had every chance of being involved with England, assuming he’d kept that kind of goal average up.

Interesting what you can do with stats, Premier League starts in 2021/22 for Newcastle United…

Callum Wilson – Started 14, Won 1, Drawn 6, Lost 7 and 9 points from a possible 42

Chris Wood – Started 14, Won 9, Drawn 2, Lost 3 and 29 points from a possible 42

Looking ahead to this summer and next season, I can see Eddie Howe keeping both Callum Wilson and Chris Wood in his NUFC first team squad BUT bringing in a quality striker to complement them. Somebody who I think will be first choice but potentially capable of playing alongside the likes of Wilson and / or Wood.

It was a disaster waiting to happen when Mike Ashley and Steve Bruce allowed the summer 2021 transfer window to close and having only one Premier League level striker at the club, especially with all the injury problems that Callum Wilson had experienced in the past. Which directly led to Eddie Howe and the new Newcastle owners having no choice but to pay that £25m release clause for Chris Wood, there is no way NUFC or indeed any other club would have paid anything close to that figure for Wood in summer 2021 or in the upcoming summer 2022, BUT in January 2022 Chris Wood has proved to be worth every penny of that £25m.

In those 14 starts, Chris Wood has helped Newcastle United get 29 points. Even his harshest critic surely can’t claim that NUFC would still have got as many as 29 points (or more!) if not signing anybody, or signing somebody else who feasibly could / would have signed instead.

Even if it had been say 23 instead of 29 points from those 14 games, two losses instead of wins, Newcastle would still be in real relegation danger, only five points clear of relegation but Everton a game in hand, the other two (Leeds and Burnley) only three points behind NUFC.

Newcastle United clearly need more goals and creativity added to their squad, here’s hoping that by the time the Premier League 2022/23 season kicks off, NUFC have added plenty of both to the current mix.

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