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Newcastle United return to Premier League action at Brighton on Saturday, looking to pick up where they left off after back-to-back victories before the international break.
Anthony Gordon, Dan Burn, Sandro Tonali, Nick Woltemade, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton were all in fine form for their countries this fortnight and now can hit the ground running for the Toon too.
Off the pitch, sporting director Ross Wilson arrived this week - a move first flagged by Newcastle Confidential in June - and he has already been seen on the training pitches at Benton.
Here, we asked for your questions on all things NUFC, including the early impressions of Wilson, and our chief football reporter CRAIG HOPE has the answers to what you want to know…
Has Yoane Wissa injured his ACL or not?! And will he go to the Africa Cup of Nations?
Two big questions to kick off with and I’ve got updates on both!
No, Wissa has NOT injured his anterior cruciate ligament, contrary to online rumours. But I can reveal that the area affected is his posterior cruciate ligament. The recovery from PCL injuries varies from a few weeks to nine months, if surgery is needed.
At last, it seems Yoane Wissa is inching closer to making his long-awaited Newcastle United debut
Wissa joined at the last minute on deadline day and has been denied the chance to pull on the black and white stripes due to an injury suffered on international duty
Wissa does not require an operation and, as such, he remains on track for a November return. However, before he can do so, the swelling around his knee needs to fully subside, and that remains the slight unknown.
We reported earlier this month that the trip to West Ham on November 2 was the soft target for the striker. I have since been told that the game at Brentford the following weekend - Wissa’s former club, of course - could be more likely for his long-awaited debut.
The 29-year-old is running on grass and, had he taken injections, he could even have played by now. However, that is fraught with risk and, as one source said, he has signed for four years, not a few months.
The club, quite rightly, will take all of the necessary steps to make sure the £55million signing is strong enough to return and they will not be rushed, a stance made easier by the impressive start of new No 9 Nick Woltemade.
As for the Africa Cup of Nations, this is very interesting. I, like most, had assumed that Wissa would be back for only a month or so in a Newcastle shirt before heading off to represent DR Congo at the tournament in Morocco, which takes place between December 21 and January 18. It was, of course, during a World Cup qualifier for Wissa’s country in September that he suffered the knee injury.
However, my latest information is that Wissa could yet stay with Newcastle. This is all to be decided - and the focus for now is getting him back playing - but the player is determined to make a big impact for a club who showed great patience and faith in waiting all summer to sign him on deadline day.
I would not be surprised if discussions took place down the line over Wissa’s AFCON involvement. His long-term fitness for club and country is the priority, especially with the potential of the World Cup to come next summer.
DR Congo have made it into a play-off semi-final against Cameroon, and Wissa's former Brentford team-mate Bryan Mbeumo, next month. The winners of that one-off tie, also in Morocco, will play the winners of Nigeria and Gabon for a place at the World Cup. It might be that a compromise around AFCON is best for Wissa, Newcastle and DR Congo.
Nick Woltemade has shouldered the burden up front with Wissa out - and I'm hearing there's a chance that both of them could play in the same team when the Congo star returns
Where will Wissa play when he does return?
I’ve had a few conversations around this and, given the sticky form of the widemen so far this season, Wissa operating from the right in a team WITH Woltemade is possible.
The plan was that he and Woltemade would share the load at centre forward, but I think we might see more of them playing together than perhaps was expected - at least when they are both fully up to speed.
How has sporting director Ross Wilson settled in and what are his immediate tasks?
Very well, from what I hear. Put it this way, I’ve had no reports of the new sporting director introducing himself to the players and declaring himself ‘elite’!
His predecessor Paul Mitchell never really recovered from the start he made, when he rubbed up players and staff the wrong way during introductory meetings.
Wilson is said to have taken a more humble and collegiate approach. He has spent time with Steve Harper at the academy and Grace Williams, the director of women’s football. He has also watched first-team training and continued his daily contact with Eddie Howe, which predated his arrival this week.
For now, the former Nottingham Forest sporting director is absorbing as much information and getting to know as many people as possible.
He does not need to make an immediate impact by way of action - that will come down the line, especially with regards to the contracts of players such as Sven Botman and Sandro Tonali.
I will write more on Wilson and the sporting director role in the coming weeks, but as a reporter who shone a light very early on the mistake that was Mitchell, the initial word on Wilson is very positive.
New sporting director Ross Wilson (right) has already been watching first-team training and building up his relationship with Eddie Howe
Could Elliot Anderson end up back at Newcastle?
In short, yes, there’s a chance. Interestingly, he has a very good relationship with Wilson from their time together at Nottingham Forest.
While there is no suggestion of any moves being made, the admiration Eddie Howe and Wilson have for Anderson - and vice-versa - means that he is certain to feature on a long list of targets heading into next summer or beyond.
For now, though, Anderson is happy and thriving at the City Ground, as evidenced by his emergence with England.
I was in Latvia with England this week and, every time I see Anderson play, it brings home just what a special talent Newcastle had to let go to satisfy their PSR deficit in the summer of 2024.
Newcastle had to let Elliot Anderson join Nottingham Forest last year to overcome their PSR deficit
Are there any January signings on the horizon?
Not that I’ve heard just yet, and it won’t be until December that Newcastle start firming up plans based on what they need, if anything.
But here is an exclusive transfer story I can bring you, and it’s quite a big deal in academy circles.
Newcastle are set to beat Tottenham and others to the signing of Josh Kenchington from Barnsley, a centre back billed as the next John Stones.
The England Under 15s star is already a towering presence at north of 6ft and is said to be extremely comfortable on the ball. Like Stones he is a Barnsley boy, and Newcastle have decided to make their move now. Stones played 28 times for his hometown club before joining Everton aged 18.
While not formally completed, a deal has been agreed with Barnsley, and Kenchington and his family have visited Tyneside. There is a lot of excitement around his anticipated arrival.
Josh Kenchington (left), who is headed for Newcastle, is handed Barnsley's young player of the year for last season in April
Is there an update on Lewis Hall’s injury?
Yes. Howe revealed before the international break that the defender needed a second scan to determine the extent of a hamstring injury suffered during the Champions League win at Union Saint-Gilloise on October 1. The head coach offered no timeframe.
However, I understand Hall was told that a period of six to eight weeks would be his likely absence time. Some of that has already been eaten into, meaning a return of around early December seems most likely.
That is a blow, but also better news than it may have been, given some hamstring injuries can take several months to heal.
Lewis Hall has been told he will be out for around six to eight weeks in total, meaning a return in early December
What does this mean for the defence, with Tino Livramento also out until late November?
Alex Murphy is well liked by Howe, but the question remains as to whether he has sufficient faith in the 21-year-old - who can play at both centre back and left back - to use him in the Premier League and Champions League.
For now, I would expect to see Dan Burn start almost every game at left back, and we might even see Kieran Trippier there on occasion.
To lose both Hall and Livramento - England left backs - at the same time is damaging, but the presence and dependability of Burn will soften that, especially as Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw have formed a brilliant partnership at centre back.
Who is in charge of youth loans?
There is a collective approach involving head of football strategy Jack Ross and Shola Ameobi and Peter Ramage, who head up the loans department. Wilson will also be involved now.
I understand why some supporters feel a little frustration with the loan arrangements, given Antonio Cordero has played fewer than 90 minutes since joining Belgian top-flight side KVC Westerlo in the summer.
The 18-year-old Spaniard played more than 40 times for Malaga last season before signing for Newcastle on a free transfer. Fellow winger Trevan Sanusi is yet to feature at Lorient in France, likewise midfielder Travis Hernes at FC Groningen in the Netherlands.
Antonio Cordero (left) was a key figure for Malaga last season but has played fewer than 90 minutes on loan at Westerlo since joining Newcastle on a free transfer this summer
Loans and the suitability of them is certainly one area that Wilson will be looking at, because the club have to start adding value to the likes of Cordero and others, as they did with Yankuba Minteh’s successful spell at Feyenoord a couple of seasons back.
Sources say that, should contract terms allow, players who are not featuring as expected will likely be recalled.
Finally, is there any update on the new training ground?
I reported earlier this month that a site at Seaton Burn had been identified, and everything I’ve heard since points to this being the location for a new state-of-the-art base.
I would expect a formal announcement on the training ground by early 2026 at the latest.
