Callum Wilson has been ruled out for up to two months due to a hamstring injury.
After sustaining the injury in a 3-2 home defeat to Southampton last Saturday, Wilson will be sidelined for between six to eight weeks, according to Sky Sports.
Callum Wilson Injury a Big Blow for Steve Bruce
Newcastle United Must Look Elsewhere to Fill Void
Since moving to Newcastle United from Bournemouth last summer, Wilson has been an integral member of the Magpies squad, with ten goals in 21 appearances.
In his absence, Steve Bruce will be worried about where the goals will come from with his side scoring just 25 times in 23 Premier League games so far this season.
However, Wilson’s departure didn’t seem to affect Newcastle on Saturday, as they held on to beat Southampton despite going down to 10 men when Jeff Hendrick was dismissed.
In the absence of Wilson, Arsenal loanee Joe Willock will look to continue his good start to life on Tyneside, with the youngster scoring on debut.
Back in action on Monday night, Newcastle face a tough test against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, who are unbeaten since the German replaced Frank Lampard as manager in January.
Thanks to two wins out of three in the Premier League, the Magpies are ten points clear of the relegation zone, having played one game more than Burnley and Fulham.
Absences in Key Areas Could Prove Costly
Although the signing of Wilson was a shrewd one following Bournemouth’s relegation to the Championship last season, Newcastle’s supporting cast has relied too heavily on their striker to make things happen.
The most glaring examples of this are the lacklustre performances of Miguel Almirón. Signed for a then club-record fee of £21 million from Atlanta United in 2019, the Peruvian has offered a paltry return of 1.9 expected goals and assists in 2020/21.
The return of Allan Saint-Maximin from a long lay-off will be a boost to the Toon Army, but no sooner has he returned than Fabian Schar and Javier Manquillo face an extended spell on the sidelines. An unfortunate time for an injury crisis this may be, just when Steve Bruce looked to have turned a corner after a torrid run of 11 games without a win, but it demonstrates greater structural issues within the squad.
Tactically, Bruce has been too reliant on moments of individual brilliance from Wilson and seems to have turned his nose up at imposing an identity on the team with their clueless nature evidence of this before Christmas.
Spells on the sidelines for a number of key players will give Saint-Maximin the chance to impose himself, and his individual quality can change games in an instant. However, outside of the mercurial Frenchman, Bruce lacks individuals who are intent on influencing proceedings.
Newcastle don’t have long to figure things out, either. They face Manchester United the week after hosting Chelsea, and two successive defeats could leave them on eggshells as we enter the closing stages of the season.
Whether or not his men step up to the challenge remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, the absence of Callum Wilson leaves Steve Bruce with some tricky problems to tackle on Tyneside.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
