Eddie Howe has admitted Callum Wilson's return is a 'huge boost' for Newcastle United - even if there is no 'magic formula' to keep the number nine fit.
Wilson will make his first appearance for Newcastle since August when the Magpies travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham on Saturday. Wilson has been back training for around 10 days now after recovering from a hamstring issue and the striker's return is a timely boost for Newcastle, particularly with record signing Alexander Isak suffering his own injury setback on international duty with Sweden.
Although Isak has led the line in Wilson's absence, scoring two goals in three games, Newcastle have certainly missed the man who finished up as the club's top scorer in each of the previous two campaigns. Not only have the Magpies picked up just three points from a possible 12 without Wilson; Eddie Howe's side have only scored three goals in that same period in the Premier League.
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It has been said so often now but given the fine margins between drawing games and winning matches at this level, keeping a clinical finisher like Wilson fit will go a long way to deciding Newcastle's fate this season. However, Wilson has played in little more than half of Newcastle's fixtures since completing his £20m move from Bournemouth because of a string of muscle injuries so how does Howe ensure the 30-year-old stays on the field?
"I'm not sure there's a magic formula," Howe told reporters. "Of course, with all our players, our main aim is to get as many people fit and available for as many games as we can.
"Callum is an important player so resting him and managing his minutes is not always the best thing for a player. Sometimes players need rhythm and they need to get used to playing 90 minutes consecutively to build their resilience.
"It's a really delicate balance and, sometimes, it's impossible to know what the correct answer is. Sometimes, you just play the game, don't think too much and then back the players' resilience. Callum played a lot of games for me in busy schedules and did very well so there's no special plans at the moment."
Howe and his staff, of course, know Wilson's body better than most. Indeed, it is easy to forget that the striker played in 35 out of Bournemouth's 38 league games in his final season on the South Coast under Howe back in 2020.
Wilson had a productive pre-season - the striker's first proper programme since joining Newcastle - before picking up a hamstring injury in the 3-3 draw against champions Man City in August. The number nine has since been working with the club's sports science team to ensure he is ready to make an immediate impact when he returns on Saturday.
As well as offering an added goal threat, of course, Wilson is a member of Newcastle's leadership group who brings so much to this side with his winning mentality. In fact, before this game, Wilson has vowed that Newcastle will 'smash' in-form Fulham - even if Marco Silva's newly-promoted side are flying high in sixth place.
Wilson's belief will be a welcome tonic for Newcastle at a time when the Magpies have failed to win a league game since the opening day of the season when the striker scored in a 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest.
"It's a huge boost for the players to have Callum back in the group, with his positive energy as well, the laughter that he brings," Howe added. "He's a big player for us - there's no doubt about that - and with Alex picking up his injury as well, it was perfect timing for us."
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