Wissa trains with Newcastle for first time since September injury

Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa, who suffered a knee injury days after his arrival from Brentford in September, has trained with his new club for the first time, manager Eddie Howe said on Friday, without disclosing a possible return date.

Newcastle signed DR Congo’s Wissa for 55 million pounds ($74.30 million) to replace Alexander Isak, who joined Liverpool for a British record transfer fee. But Wissa, 29, got injured on national duty before his Newcastle debut.

“He is doing well, he trained with us for the first time on Wednesday so I was really pleased with how he looked. That’s his first time competitively with the group. Let’s see how he responds today,” Howe told a press conference on Friday, a day before visiting Everton.

“We have got (a return date) in mind, but it’s probably best if I keep that to myself. We don’t want to disappoint anyone. Of course, we want to involve him as soon as possible.”

Newcastle are 14th in the Premier League, four points above the bottom three, as they look to shake off a midweek loss at Olympique Marseille in the Champions League and build on momentum from last weekend’s win over Manchester City.