Newcastle United forward Yoane Wissa has revealed he is “not in the best shape” to represent DR Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations this month.
The 29-year-old missed out on the tournament in Morocco after struggling with injury for much of the season.
Wissa joined Newcastle in a £55million move from Brentford on transfer deadline day in September but suffered a knee injury while on international duty with DR Congo, delaying his debut for the Magpies.
He finally returned to action earlier this month, coming off the bench in Newcastle’s 2-1 victory over Burnley.
Since then, Wissa has made four more appearances, starting just once. He marked that full debut with a goal in last week’s Carabao Cup win over Fulham.
Despite regaining fitness at club level, Wissa opted not to join his national side, instead choosing to support them from home.
He is focused on returning to peak condition for Newcastle as they compete across all four competitions this season.
“I’m not in the best shape to represent my country right now. It’s a very difficult decision to make,” Wissa told Foot RDC.
“The DRC holds a special place in my heart. I can only wish my team-mates the best of luck in this AFCON. The most important thing now is to get back in shape so I can help the team during the play-offs in March.”
DR Congo kicked off their AFCON campaign on Thursday with a 1-0 win over Benin, thanks to a goal from Theo Bongonda.
Les Leopards face Senegal at the Grand Stade de Tanger in Tangier on Saturday in their second group match.
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