Wissa close to Newcastle debut, says Howe

NEWCASTLE, England, Dec 5 : Striker Yoane Wissa is back in training and getting close to making his Newcastle United debut, manager Eddie Howe said of the DR Congo international on Friday.

Wissa joined Newcastle from Brentford three months ago for a fee of 55 million pounds ($73.40 million) but suffered a knee injury while on international duty soon after and has not appeared for his club.

"(He's) getting closer. We did an 11 versus 11 game, sort of for him on Wednesday. That was good, more minutes for him. Around about half an hour, and he did well," Howe told reporters ahead of his side's home Premier League game with Burnley.

"We will see how he is today. He's looked good and come through everything. I always say in these situations that we have more training today and we have to make a decision on whether he is ready to not just be fit, but be fit to make a difference and perform to his highest levels."

Newcastle will not have to worry about Wissa going off to the Africa Cup of Nations once he resumes playing as the 29-year-old has not been included in his country's squad.

Wissa shared the news of the DR Congo squad via his personal Instagram account this week, along with the message "I'll be the number one supporter! Big up to the family."

Newcastle are unbeaten at home in the Premier League since August and will be keen to make up for conceding a late equaliser at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday.

That draw meant they have dropped 11 points from winning positions in the league this season, the joint most.

"I don't think there's any mysterious reason for that underneath. We're looking at patterns and trends all the time and I don't think there's something fundamentally wrong but we can certainly do better," Howe, whose side are 12th, said.

Howe said he was confident that Sandro Tonali will be available despite going off injured against Tottenham.

"He's had a scan and we don't think it's too bad. We'll give him every chance to declare himself fit,"