In a recent interview with Football Insider, former Premier League forward Gabriel Agbonlahor shared his worries about Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson’s injury absence but backed Steve Bruce’s team to keep fighting without him over the next few weeks. Agbonlahor said,
“He’s (Wilson) injured again? His injury record is awful.
“I bet Steve Bruce is thinking ‘You get a goal out of him and then he’s injured for six weeks’. That’s so frustrating.
“Now you’re left with Dwight Gayle who’s not really done it in the Premier League. You’re left with Joelinto who is not a Premier League striker.
“Steve Bruce has got to get his team together and keep them fighting because it’s going to be very difficult to get results without him.
“But I would always back Steve Bruce to keep them up. He needed more help in the summer. It must be so frustrating for him.”
Wilson’s Spell Of Mixed Emotions At St. James’ Park
The 29-year-old made an impressive start to this campaign after banging in two goals in three appearances for the Magpies so far. However, a thigh injury has kept him out of the past few matches which have affected Newcastle’s results on the field.
Wilson had a decent campaign at Tyneside last season when he made 28 appearances for the Magpies, netting 12 goals and earning five assists across all fronts. The Coventry-born talent did well to average 3.3 shots and 1.0 dribbles per 90 minutes in Premier League. However, he needs to work on improving his accuracy when interchanging possession with his teammates in the final third, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 65.5% in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
What Should Steve Bruce Do To Cope With Wilson’s Injury?
Wilson can use his quickness to make a few intelligent runs in behind the opponent’s backline. He is proficient at generating a yard of space for himself and can test the opposition keeper with some accurate shots. The former Bournemouth striker is a decent finisher in front of the opponent’s goal. Hence, it is no surprise that Newcastle are struggling to pick up wins without his goals on offer in the attacking third of the pitch.
Wilson remains Bruce’s most productive attacking weapon, so the Newcastle boss would have no choice but to rely on Allan Saint-Maximin and Joelinton to bang in some goals over the next few weeks until the English striker is ready to make a comeback from his injury.
Saint-Maximin managed to find the back of the net versus Leeds United on Friday night but it was only enough for Newcastle to salvage a point. Maybe, the Magpies boss should think about using someone experienced like Dwight Gayle, who has shown in the past that he can be a streaky goal-scorer, alongside Saint-Maximin to cope with Wilson’s injury absence.
